Free Japanese Seafood Recipe D V D For Restaurants, Retailers, Distributors & Food Writers

Boston, MA- Japan's latest initiative to expand the sale of its popular seafood products in the US includes a free, how-to DVD now available to restaurant owners, distributors, retailers and food writers.

The DVD offer is part of an export initiative that included a Japanese government-organized news conference, breakfast and pavilion at the recent International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS).

The DVD produced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) is ideal for American and Continental restaurants as well as supermarkets that want to broaden their offerings with authentic Japanese seafood cuisine.

For a free copy together with printed recipes, members of the trade and food writers may contact MAFF's PR representative in Boston: Dick Pirozzolo (email: dick@pirozzolo.com ) Supplies are limited.

According to Toshinori Uoya, Export Promotion Officer of MAFF, Japan's goal is to sell $10 billion worth of seafood annually in the US in five years. To help achieve this goal, the Japanese government sponsored its first IBSS pavilion where 10 seafood suppliers exhibited products to an estimated 18,000 visitors. These included distributors, restaurant executives and retailers.

To assure adequate supplies, the Hon. Yoichi Suzuki, Consul General of Japan in Boston, told reporters during a Japanese government hosted breakfast and news conference that Japan consumes one-third of global production and that his nation is a world leader in implementing advanced sustainable resource management.

Harvard anthropologist Prof. Theodore Bestor, author of Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World, (University of California Press, 2004) explained why Japan and seafood are so culturally interwoven. "No matter where one lives in this island nation, the sea is no farther that 250 kilometers away," said Bestor, adding that Tokyo's massive seafood market, Tsukiji is 10 times larger than the fabled Fulton Fish Market in New York and is surrounded by retail seafood markets and stalls.

Bestor noted, "Japan has four distinct seasons that influence the varieties of seafood and seafood dishes available throughout the year." He added that Japanese cuisine - including seafood -- offers surprising combinations of both flavor and textures. For example, bluefin sashimi wrapped in dried seaweed creates a harmonious taste sensation with a slight crunch that adds unexpected grace notes to the item.

Professor Corky Clark of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY said he was impressed by the commitment the Japanese government made to its first entry at the International Boston Seafood Show. "The timing seems right now that sushi and sashimi have become a mainstay of our cuisine, " Chef Clark said.

The Japan Pavilion gave the industry a look -- and taste -- of a much wider range of authentic Japanese delicacies and species than one customarily finds in the US. Among the offerings were bonito with a grilled surface and both bluefin and yellowtail tuna as well beautifully marbled, super-premium sashimi cuts from yellowtail bellies.

Masatoshi Wakabayashi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Government of Japan, noted, "Japanese cuisine is being accepted and is attracting more attention not only in North America, but throughout the world.."

To view or download photos go to:
http://gallery.mac.com/dickpirozzolo#100020