【Reading】かざりぎり

【English Name】Decorative Cutting

Kazari-giri (decorative cutting) is a Japanese-cuisine decorative technique of shaping ingredients into forms such as flowers and animals, used to give dishes a beautiful finish. Vegetables are mainly used: there are many varieties, such as "hana-gata-giri" (cutting carrots into plum- or cherry-blossom shapes), "kikka-giri" (carving fine lattice slits into daikon or turnip to resemble a chrysanthemum), "matsukasa-giri" (making a diagonal lattice of cuts on the surface of squid so it opens like a pine cone when heated), and "tazuna-giri" (passing a slit through the center of konnyaku and twisting it).

A related technique is "kazari-bocho" (decorative knife work). This involves making cross or diagonal cuts on the surface of fish or shiitake mushrooms, which not only improves appearance but also has practical effects of improving heat penetration and the absorption of flavor.

Overseas there is fruit carving and vegetable carving, said to have originated in the Sukhothai Kingdom era of Thailand, which has much in common with kazari-giri. However, while carving is a method of sculpting ingredients three-dimensionally, kazari-giri differs in character in that it centers on shape-cutting and slicing.

At sushi establishments, the decorative cutting of vegetables added as garnish (tsuma) and accompaniments (ashirai) influences the completeness of the presentation. It requires the skill to freely handle a thin-bladed knife (usuba-bocho) and is counted among the tasks in which a chef's skill is clearly revealed.