Japanese cuisine caters for vegetarians, fish-eaters and carnivores alike, as well as those avoiding gluten and dairy products - wheat and dairy products are relative newcomers to the modern Japanese diet.

Rice is suited to mass cultivation in the mountainous Japanese landscape and has been the staple crop since the second century BC. Under the strict influence of Zen Buddhism, for a considerable period from the end of the 12th century, the Japanese diet was ostensibly vegan.

Eating meat (regarded as against their religion for over 1200 years) only became commonplace in the late 19th century once Japan reopened its doors to the outside world after more than two centuries of isolation. Milk consumption, which until then had been unthinkable, was considered an alien practice for a long time after this.

More than sushi

Much has been made of the more exotic aspects of traditional Japanese food, such as raw fish and seaweed. Since the mid 90s, sushi has become a familiar offering in the UK - it's even available in British supermarkets. However, Japanese cuisine is about a great deal more than sushi.

The kaiseki meal is the haute cuisine of traditional Japanese food and embodies the ideals of the national cuisine, developed along with the religious art of the tea ceremony in the 16th century. It is a formal meal composed of several dishes made by different culinary methods, each artistically presented in its own beautiful container.

A modern kaiseki meal might consist of an hors d'oeuvre, clear soup, sashimi (raw fish), a grilled dish, a simmered dish, a main dish, and a salad followed by a pickled vegetable, Miso soup and rice. Sake (rice wine) or beer is served alongside.

Zen principles of harmony, balance and restraint are at the heart of the kaiseki experience. An appreciation of nature and the seasons is also central, expressed through the food ingredients or the symbolism of the garnishes used. Ingredients should be fresh and of top quality, and the preparation and seasoning of the food complimentary to its natural flavours. Food is cut thinly so that only light cooking is needed, again to preserve the natural colour, flavour and quality.

In Japanese cuisine these ideals are reflected in the humblest meal. A meal may be one dish, say a bowl of noodles or rice topped with an attractive array of meat, fish and vegetables, or a simple home-style meal of 'soup plus three': that is soup, plus three dishes cooked by different methods (rice is a given!).