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{{short description|Japanese restaurant order}}
[[File:Omakase.jpg|thumb|right|Omakase]]
{{about||the Japanese restaurant in San Francisco, California|Omakase (restaurant)|the albums|Omakase (Dan the Automator album)|and|Omakase (Electric Company album)}}
{{Nihongo|'''''Omakase'''''|お任せ}} is a [[Japanese language|Japanese]] phrase that means "I'll leave it to you" (from Japanese 任す, ''entrust'').
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Nihongo|'''''Omakase'''''|[[wikt:お任せ|お任せ]]|o-makase|lead=yes}} is a [[Japanese language|Japanese]] phrase, used when ordering food in restaurants, that means 'I'll leave it up to you' (from Japanese {{nihongo|'to entrust'|[[wikt:任せる|任せる]]|makaseru}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/お任せ |title=お任せの英語・英訳 - 英和辞典・和英辞典 Weblio辞書 |trans-title=Omakase English Translation – English-Japanese and Japanese-English Weblio Dictionary |publisher=[[Weblio]] | access-date=20 May 2016 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/御任せ-454386|title=Omakase|script-title=ja:御任せ|website=kotobank.jp|author=[[Daijisen]]|language=ja|access-date=11 July 2021}}</ref>


== Usage ==
The expression is used at [[sushi]] restaurants to leave the selection to the chef. It differs from ordering [[à la carte]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Zen of Fish |last=Corson |first=Trevor |year=2007 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-06-088350-8 |pages=318–319}}</ref> The chef will generally present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to heaviest, richest dishes.<ref>Corson, p. 77.</ref> The phrase is not exclusive to service of raw fish with rice, and can incorporate [[grilling]], [[simmering]],<ref>Corson, pp. 98, 113.</ref> or other cooking techniques as well.
The phrase ''omakase'', literally 'I leave it up to you',<ref name=":1" /> is most commonly used when dining at Japanese restaurants where the customer leaves it up to the chef to select and serve [[Seasonal food|seasonal specialties]].<ref name="Luber Cohen 2019 p. 77">{{cite book |last1=Luber |first1=M. |last2=Cohen |first2=B. |title=Stuff Every Sushi Lover Should Know |publisher=Quirk Books |series=Stuff You Should Know |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-68369-159-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5paMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |access-date=July 21, 2020 |page=77 pp}}</ref> The Japanese antonym for ''omakase'' is ''okonomi'' (from {{lang|ja|[[:wikt:好み|好み]]}} ''konomi'', "preference, what one likes"), which means choosing what to order.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jpninfo.com/45111 |title=Omakase or Okonomi: How to Order Your Delicious Sushi? |website=Japan Info}}</ref> In [[American English]], the expression is used by patrons at [[sushi]] restaurants to leave the selection to [[Itamae|the chef]], as opposed to ordering ''[[à la carte]]''.{{sfn|Corson|2007|pp=318–9}} The chef will present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to the heaviest dishes.{{sfn|Corson|2007|p=77}} The phrase is not exclusive to raw fish with rice and can incorporate [[grilling]], [[simmering]] and other cooking techniques.{{sfn|Corson|2007|p=98}}{{sfn|Corson|2007|p=113}}


== Characteristics ==
Customers ordering ''omakase'' style expect the chef to be innovative and surprising in the selection of dishes, and the meal can be likened to an artistic performance by the chef.<ref>Corson, pp. 102, 288.</ref> Ordering omakase can be a gamble; however, the customer typically receives the highest quality fish the restaurant currently has in stock at a price cheaper than if it was ordered à la carte.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy |last=Issenberg |first=Sasha |authorlink=Sasha Issenberg |year=2007 |publisher=Gotham Books |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-59240-294-6 |page=121}}</ref> From the restaurant's perspective, a large number of customers ordering ''omakase'' can help in planning for food costs.
[[File:Omakase uni.jpg|thumb|286x286px|Part of a 12-course ''omakase'']]


The [[Michelin Guide]] said "few formal dining experiences are as revered or as intimidating" as ''omakase.''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Kitchen Language: What Is Omakase? |url=https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/illinois/chicago/article/features/kitchen-language-what-is-omakase |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=MICHELIN Guide |language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also==

*[[Sasabune]]
Customers ordering ''omakase'' style expect the chef to be innovative and surprising in selecting dishes, and the meal can be likened to an artistic performance.{{sfn|Corson|2007|p=102}}{{sfn|Corson|2007|p=288}} Some people may think that ordering omakase can be a gamble; however, the customer typically receives the highest-quality fish available at a lower cost than if it had been ordered ''à la carte''.{{sfn|Issenberg|2007|p=121}} According to [[Jeffrey Steingarten]], recounting in ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' a 22-course "memorable feast" that required several hours:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steingarten |first=Jeffrey |title=Inside the Costly, Rarified World of the Omakase Menu |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/omakase-chefs-choice-menu-japanese-degustation-shuko-ichimura-nyc |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Vogue |date=23 September 2016 |language=en-us}}</ref>

{{Quote|text=In the U.S., ''omakase'' usually refers to an extended sushi dinner, ideally eaten at the sushi counter, where the chef prepares one piece of fish at a time, announces its name and origin, answers your questions, and guesses what else you might enjoy and how much more you'd like to eat. You expect to be brought the most perfect seafood available at that time of year, fish that will be handled as carefully as a kidney awaiting transplantation and as respectfully as a still-living thing. You marvel at the endless training of the dedicated staff, the precision of their work, their incredible concentration for hours at a time, their lack of pretense, their quiet. And the beauty of their knives.|author=|title=|source=}} Food writer Joanne Drilling compared the ''omakase'' experience to [[prix fixe]] but said it was "slightly different. It involves completely ceding control of the ordering process and letting the chef choose your dinner."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-01-30 |title=Omakase dining lets the chef pick your dinner |url=https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/back-of-the-house-for-a-unique-dining-experience-try-the-omakase-menu-at-ando |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=WCPO |language=en}}</ref> Like Steingarten she recommends ''omakase'' dining at the sushi counter.<ref name=":0" /> The Michelin guide called ''omakase'' the "spiritual companion and counterpoint to [[kaiseki]]", an elaborate multi-course highly ritualized meal.<ref name=":1" />

== See also ==
{{Portal|Food|Japan}}
* [[List of restaurant terminology]]
* [[Okonomiyaki]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}


== References ==
== References ==
* {{cite book |last=Corson |first=Trevor |year=2007 |title=The Zen of Fish |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-088350-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/zenoffishstoryof00cors}}
{{reflist|2}}
* {{cite book |last=Issenberg |first=Sasha |author-link=Sasha Issenberg |year=2007 |title=The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy |publisher=Gotham Books |location=New York |isbn=978-1-59240-294-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/sushieconomyglob00isse}}

{{Sushi}}
{{Sushi}}
{{Japanese food and drink}}


[[Category:Sushi]]
[[Category:Sushi]]
[[Category:Japanese words and phrases]]
[[Category:Japanese words and phrases]]
[[Category:Restaurant terminology]]
[[Category:Restaurant terminology]]
[[Category:Japanese cuisine]]

[[Category:Japanese cuisine terms]]

{{Japan-cuisine-stub}}

[[es:Omakase]]

Latest revision as of 02:28, 7 October 2024

Omakase (Japanese: お任せ, Hepburn: o-makase) is a Japanese phrase, used when ordering food in restaurants, that means 'I'll leave it up to you' (from Japanese 'to entrust' (任せる, makaseru)).[1][2]

Usage

[edit]

The phrase omakase, literally 'I leave it up to you',[3] is most commonly used when dining at Japanese restaurants where the customer leaves it up to the chef to select and serve seasonal specialties.[4] The Japanese antonym for omakase is okonomi (from 好み konomi, "preference, what one likes"), which means choosing what to order.[5] In American English, the expression is used by patrons at sushi restaurants to leave the selection to the chef, as opposed to ordering à la carte.[6] The chef will present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to the heaviest dishes.[7] The phrase is not exclusive to raw fish with rice and can incorporate grilling, simmering and other cooking techniques.[8][9]

Characteristics

[edit]
Part of a 12-course omakase

The Michelin Guide said "few formal dining experiences are as revered or as intimidating" as omakase.[3]

Customers ordering omakase style expect the chef to be innovative and surprising in selecting dishes, and the meal can be likened to an artistic performance.[10][11] Some people may think that ordering omakase can be a gamble; however, the customer typically receives the highest-quality fish available at a lower cost than if it had been ordered à la carte.[12] According to Jeffrey Steingarten, recounting in Vogue a 22-course "memorable feast" that required several hours:[13]

In the U.S., omakase usually refers to an extended sushi dinner, ideally eaten at the sushi counter, where the chef prepares one piece of fish at a time, announces its name and origin, answers your questions, and guesses what else you might enjoy and how much more you'd like to eat. You expect to be brought the most perfect seafood available at that time of year, fish that will be handled as carefully as a kidney awaiting transplantation and as respectfully as a still-living thing. You marvel at the endless training of the dedicated staff, the precision of their work, their incredible concentration for hours at a time, their lack of pretense, their quiet. And the beauty of their knives.

Food writer Joanne Drilling compared the omakase experience to prix fixe but said it was "slightly different. It involves completely ceding control of the ordering process and letting the chef choose your dinner."[14] Like Steingarten she recommends omakase dining at the sushi counter.[14] The Michelin guide called omakase the "spiritual companion and counterpoint to kaiseki", an elaborate multi-course highly ritualized meal.[3]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "お任せの英語・英訳 - 英和辞典・和英辞典 Weblio辞書" [Omakase English Translation – English-Japanese and Japanese-English Weblio Dictionary] (in Japanese). Weblio. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  2. ^ Daijisen. "Omakase" 御任せ. kotobank.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Kitchen Language: What Is Omakase?". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. ^ Luber, M.; Cohen, B. (2019). Stuff Every Sushi Lover Should Know. Stuff You Should Know. Quirk Books. p. 77 pp. ISBN 978-1-68369-159-4. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Omakase or Okonomi: How to Order Your Delicious Sushi?". Japan Info.
  6. ^ Corson 2007, pp. 318–9.
  7. ^ Corson 2007, p. 77.
  8. ^ Corson 2007, p. 98.
  9. ^ Corson 2007, p. 113.
  10. ^ Corson 2007, p. 102.
  11. ^ Corson 2007, p. 288.
  12. ^ Issenberg 2007, p. 121.
  13. ^ Steingarten, Jeffrey (23 September 2016). "Inside the Costly, Rarified World of the Omakase Menu". Vogue. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Omakase dining lets the chef pick your dinner". WCPO. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2020.

References

[edit]