From Japan to India and the West, food of temples and monasteries inspires recipe book
From Asia to Europe, Africa, US and Canada, a food writer toured the kitchens of Buddhist and Catholic monasteries, a synagogue and gurdwara
American cook and food writer Jody Eddy’s friendship with Shinobu Namae, the chef behind three-Michelin-star Tokyo restaurant L’Effervescence, was ultimately what gained her access to the kitchens at the revered Eihei-ji temple in Japan.
Eihei-ji (“Temple of Eternal Peace”) was founded in 1244 by the Japanese Buddhist monk Eihei Dogen after he returned from studying in China. He founded the Soto school of Zen Buddhism and made Eihei-ji its headquarters.
The temple is hidden in cedar forests deep in the mountains of Fukui prefecture. Rarely, if ever, has anyone been allowed in to photograph the kitchens.
But Namae wrote extensive letters in support of Eddy and her photographer Kristin Teig and their request to record the monks at work. Eventually, the temple’s reluctance turned into an invitation to stay.
Arriving in the depths of winter was like a fairy tale, says Eddy, who has captured the experience in her book Elysian Kitchens – Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World’s Sacred Spaces.
“Snow was whirling through the cedars and the Buddha statues were dusted in white. The stillness of the place was incredible,” she says.