Shojin cuisine is the term in Japan for vegetarian Buddhist cuisine, which employs a range of know-how and techniques to produce tasty dishes that do not feature any meat and seafood. This episode will provide an extensive introduction to this form of cooking, looking at the etiquette associated with the preparation and the partaking of the breakfast-time rice porridge served at Eihei-ji Temple, the headquarters of Soto Zen sect, as well as a more casual form of Buddhist cuisine (known as Fucha-ryori), which is served at Manpuku-ji, a Zen temple in Kyoto. The dishes mimic the appearance and taste of meat and fish.
