Hokkaido: Recipes From the Seas, Fields and Farmlands of Northern Japan by Tim Anderson
A review of the latest cookbook by Tim Anderson
The food of Hokkaido doesn't need to justify itself by asserting its influence on mainstream Japanese cuisine writes Tim Anderson in the introduction to Hokkaido, his eighth book about Japanese food. It is 'important not because of how it has been received elsewhere, but because of how it has sustained the people of Hokkaido themselves. It is our privilege to partake in and to learn from it.' God, it's good to see this as a mission statement.
I so admire what Tim does. He's a good example of how to write about a culture not your own in a respectful, non-proprietary way, centring the perspectives of everyone he meets on each book's journey to publication. He's a cultural conduit of the best kind- respect, awe, kinship and pleasure flow through his work, and he makes it clear that he's as much about the process as the outcome. His books never have an air of the final word on a given subject. They're an ongoing conversation.
A few months before Hokkaido was published Tim posted a series of exquisitely presented storyboards on his Instagram feed, the format of which was inspired by a kid’s book called ‘How a Book is Made’ bought from his mum’s charity store in Wisconsin. Tim takes us behind the scenes from pitch to commission describing how he works with Hardie Grant’s team on design, photography, research, itinerary planning, travel, recipe-testing, writing and editing, photography (including a series of R&D stories showing his recipes being tested, cooked, styled and shot- we even see the shoot schedule) then finally, sales and publicity (including a screengrab of his publisher’s campaign tracker!). The detail is granular; Here are posts about Hokkaido’s colour palette and design process:
We’re given examples to show us exactly what inter-contextual research involves (Tim adopted a ‘beginner’s mind attitude’). In one story he lays bare his thoughts about my essay on culinary genealogy. Hokkaido includes proper end notes with cited works and- importantly- a statement of attribution after a suggestion from one of the curators at Upopoy who checked the Ainu words and etymologies used in the book. Protocols from the Australian government’s Arts Council helped Tim structure this. I’m so thrilled whenever a cookbook includes richly detailed lists of references and/or a bibliography.
As is usual in a Tim Anderson cookbook, there’s tons of incredibly well-written information, pictorial guides (i.e. on Ainu food, and salmon cuts and their uses), essays about people, places, and ingredients, a section on fundamentals (how to make dashi, tare, noodles, and rice) and a very good index.
And the food! Rice-Stuffed Squid, Melon Jelly and Melon Cream Puffs, Rosehip Rice, Wild Allium Miso and a recipe showing us how to dry alliums in a microwave. I love the section titled ‘Hokkaido Cheeseboard’ with four recipes including one for 'Wine Cheddar’, a homage to Furano Cheese Kōbō with a Wisconsin vibe, the state Tim hails from. As befits a dairy and potato-growing region (which Hokkaido is), there are recipes for Korokke (croquettes) stuffed with cabbage, beef and ginger or filled with bechamel, corn or crab which, he suggests, are great as a topping for burgers or noodles.
I love the sound of Hot Bacon Okaka Onigiri inspired by the Hot Chef food counters at the Seicomart; a recipe for Corn Potage based on a side dish served at Gotoken restaurant in Hokodate; and Gatatan - a thick Chinese-style miner's soup from Ashibetsu, the once-prosperous and bustling town. A two-crust three-layer Snowmelt Cheesecake inspired by the famous cake sold at Furano’s Shinya Bakery sounds divine as do Rice Flour Dumplings with Walnut Sauce, Layered Vegetable and Salmon Pickles, and Lavender Butter to use as a baste or flavouring... It's all so beautiful, delicious, witty, clever and achievable!
Hokkaido: Recipes From the Seas, Fields and Farmlands of Northern Japan by Tim Anderson is published by Hardie Grant UK and is out now. This link is affiliated with my Bookshop.Org page.
has joined Substack too. His first newsletter is a cracker.Tim Anderson’s author page.
