In recent years relations between Japan and Turkmenistan have been rapidly developing, including cultural and social spheres. One of the indicators demonstrating this fact is the culinarycompetition between the best sushi-masters in the country entitled the “Final Sushi Master’s Contest”, held on November 3in Ashgabat, wherethe Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Turkmenistan Mr. Katsumata Takahiko took part.
This competition organized by online-platform “Dostawka.bar” and “SM Sushi” restaurant with the support of the Embassy of Japan in Turkmenistan isaimed not only to determine the best chef of sushi, but also to promote the Japanese cuisine in Turkmenistan. Ambassador Katsumata gave a welcome speech as an honored guest and mentioned that only 3 years ago, when he just arrived to Turkmenistan on his diplomatic mission, there were only few restaurants with Japanese cuisine.Then he was pleased to note that after an event held in March this year aimed to make an introduction with Japanese cuisine, which was presented by the official chef of the Ambassador’s residence Mr. Otsuka Koki, the interest of Turkmen population to Japanese cuisine as well as number of restaurants with Japanese dishes increased significantly.
A culture of Japanese cuisine named “Washoku” was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. It not only reflects the culture of Japanese dishes through unique ingredients and recipes, but also demonstrates the mentality and the aesthetic sense of Japanese people.
The following Ashgabat restaurantsparticipated in the “Final Sushi Contest”:
- «Restorantino»
- «SM Sushi»
- «Euphoria»»
- «YakiTori»
- «Umyt Group&Etaz pub»
- “Pizza Kopetdag”
The winner of this tough competition is the chef of the “SM Sushi” restaurant Mr. Reyimov Ramon. The chef of the Ambassador’s official residence, Mr. Otsuka Koki, who took part as a judge of this competition, noted that he was very impressed by such a high level of sushi masters and hopes that this event will serve as an impetus to the further development of their professional level. /// nCa, 7 November 2019 [with major input from Japanese Embassy in Ashgabat]