It takes rigorous training to become a sushi master. Often referred to as “Itamae” an honor given to skilled sushi chefs that deserve this prestigious title.
The launch of the very first European Sushi Championship will be held Monday, March 27, 2023, in Monaco at THE NIWAKI restaurant.
The competition features ten selected sushi masters across Europe that will compete for the title and represent their countries, respectively. All of them share one common passion, The love for the art of high Japanese cuisine.
The best chefs selected will compete in front of an international jury of professionals composed of the president of the WSSI – World Sushi Skills Institute, star culinarians, world sushi prizewinners, and experts.
Making sushi is more complex than you might think. It’s an “art form in its own right” according to Julien Panet, the competition organizer. He has organized the French Sushi Championship, which aims to bring a whole dimension to the art of sushi.
The candidates will be decided by 2 tests. Rooted from the ideals of dexterity, originality and know-how basis.
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A preparatory 60-minute test.
How the chefs prepare their raw materials. Each individual will showcase theproducts they will be using in the following round. The fish must be cut using the Saku technique. A precisely cut and cleaned method is utilized for slicing the perfect maguro and nigiri sashimi.
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Creative test (60 minutes)
The chefs are invited to showcase on one to several plates 40 pieces of sushi which have to include the categories of nigiri, maki, uramaki, kazari-maki, kazari-sushi, vegetarian sushi, and 15 pieces of sashimi.
Finally, the chefs must choose 2 creative “signature” sushi dishes and prepare six identical pieces of each on a separate plate for tasting. One signature piece must be vegetarian using Kopper Cress products.
“The technique will of course be analyzed with precision. In a gastronomic competition of this rank, it goes without saying that the mastery of gestures and the product is acquired. We will also give a lot of importance to the chef’s sensitivity and to the visual harmony of the proposed flavors” -Julian Panet
The winner of the prestigious competition will receive 1000 euros. The event takes place at Monaco’s new Japanese destination. The acclaimed NIWAKI restaurant specializes in
Nipponese Cuisine. The head Chef Wagner Spadacio holds the titles of World Vice-Champion (2018) and French Sushi Champion (2017).
After the precise selection process, the competition will feature (France) Mickaël Pankar, (Italy) Diego Vianello, (Monaco) Lyfoung Vameng, (Czech Republic) Marek Hora, (Romania) Sorin Zaharia, (Poland) Marcin Konkiel, (Portugal) Diego Matinho, (Norway) Sergey Pak (Belgium) Jefferson Elias Ribeiro Da Silva, and (Spain) Hector Ribeiro.
Itadakimasu, Let the games begin!
Image Credits: © Fabbio Galatioto