TRAVELING WITH CHEF HIRO IN HIS FAVORITE RECIPES: HIRO CARTOON FOOD

An alternative way of proposing historic Japanese dishes by combining authenticity and knowledge: in his new book, published by Mondadori Electa, Chef Hiro accompanies the reader on an original journey dedicated to the traditional cuisine of the country of the Rising Sun, between culinary notions and culture popular.

Hirohiko Shoda, known as Chef Hiro @chef_hiro

Chef Hiro, stage name of Hirohiko Shoda , is a chef of Japanese origins, born in Nara, where he grew up, in 1977. After studying European and international cuisine undertaken in a specialized academy in Osaka, in 2006 he moved in Italy where he met and fell in love with Mediterranean cuisine. Thanks to his friendliness and skills he received much appreciation from the Italian public and in 2019 he received the nomination of Ambassador of Japanese cuisine in Italy by MAFF, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.
A few weeks ago he published his third book “Hiro Cartoon Food: Chef Hiro's Heart Recipes” . The volume contains over 50 recipes dedicated to the most popular Japanese anime and manga released since the 70s and 80s, many of which also became well known in Italy, marking the childhood of many generations.
Have you ever wondered what your favorite cartoon characters eat ? This is the opportunity to discover it and, why not, replicate the recipes by trying your hand at cooking!

The cover of Chef Hiro's new book “Hiro Carton Food”

"Hiro Cartoon Food" presents itself as a guide to a culinary journey aimed not only at the function of a recipe book , but also as an essay-story between unusual anecdotes and fun curiosities . The chef ensures that the preparations contained in the book are quick and easy, also suitable for beginners: among the proposals we find the famous miso soup with bacon and vegetables from Miyazaki's masterpiece "My Neighbor Totoro", onigiri of rice and nori seaweed taken from the "Pokémon" series, the renowned Zenigata spaghetti from the cartoon "Lupin", the okonomiyaki - a kind of Japanese omelette - which Giuliano the cat from "Kiss me Licia" is fond of and many others.
Among the author's favorites is the Japanese hamburger from the anime "The Big Belly Wizard Etcì", minced meat cooked on both sides and accompanied by a traditional sauce. However, the true recipe of Chef Hiro's heart remains that of dorayaki, a Japanese pancake-like dessert, stuffed inside with azuki bean jam , Doraemon's favorite food. Although they are very simple and ordinary sweets, dorayaki hold a special place for the chef, as they bring back happy memories of his childhood, of when he would come home from school and his grandmother would prepare them as a snack for him and his brothers.

The TENOHA Milan shop with the bookstore section

In addition to the "pure" food and wine column , interesting aspects of Japanese culinary culture and beyond are covered, such as the strict rules of good manners that must be observed at the table (did you know that chopsticks must never cross each other? It's a question of education, as well as good luck!) and some false myths are also dispelled : for example in the West it is thought that sushi is the most popular dish consumed in Japan, while in reality here only in one restaurant out of ten can this specialty be found , considered an exception to the “ordinary” diet.

You can buy Chef Hiro's new book on TENOHA E-SHOP, the first Japanese concept store in Europe

Hiro Cartoon Food - Chef Hiro - €22.90

GRAF CHOPSTICK - €15.00

KIHARA CHOPSTICK PORCELLAIN REST - €6.00

POCKY CHOCOLATE - €3.50

KARA MUCHO HOT CHILI CLASSIC - €2.80

JAPAN IN 100 OBJECTS - €24.90