is the traditional
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese art of decorative
garnishing. Examples of this include carving traditional images (flowers, cranes, turtles and dragons
) into skins of
fruits
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
and
vegetables
Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...
, as well as carving vegetables (such as
daikon
Daikon 大根 (だいこん) or mooli, (مولی) ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia ...
,
carrot
The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...
,
eggplant
Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...
) into attractive shapes such as
flowers
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
, twists, and
fan shapes. These are commonly served as a garnish on the same plate as the meal, or on a small side plate. Carving is done using a kitchen knife. Mukimono is different from
Thai fruit carving, which uses a sharp thin knife specifically designed for this purpose.
See also
*
Vegetable carving
Vegetable carving is the art of carving vegetables into other objects, such as flowers and birds.
The origins of vegetable carving
The origins of vegetable carving are disputed: it may have begun in ancient Japan; in Sukothai, Thailand; or in t ...
*
Fruit carving
*
Night of the Radishes
References
{{Reflist
External links
Mukimono, the grandfather of the Fine Art of Thai Fruit and Vegetable Carving
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine terms
Food and drink decorations