You can't have a Japanese kitchen without a santoku-bocho, Japan's most popular kitchen knife. It's a jack of all trades and master of none, handling most kitchen tasks well enough for government work.
The term santoku literally implies "three virtues", however the term more specifically describes the santoku-bochou's promoted capability to manage vegetables, fish, and meat. It is also called bunka-bocho (cultural kitchen knife) or banno-bocho (multi-purpose kitchen knife).
The nakiri-bocho ("knife for cutting greens "), which resembles a thin cleaver or Chinese chef's knife, was the most popular household kitchen knife long before the santoku-bocho debuted. For the majority of its documented history, the Japanese dietary plan was mainly seafood, vegetables and rice. Therefore, the requirement for anything like the long, pointed chef's knife was limited.
Sometime during the course of the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), more meat started appearing in addition to the traditional diet as a result of western influences. Consequently, chef's knives (known in Japan as gyuto, actually "beef knife") came into use in Japan from overseas. Still, it wasn't until the post-WWII economic boom (~ 1950) that ordinary Japanese families started to adopt western-style cooking.
In the post-war economic recovery period, average families began to include more meat with their standard diet of vegetables and seafood. This necessitated a knife that could handle all three types of food, and thus the santoku-bocho was born. Put a naikiri-bocho next to a western chef's knife and you'll see that the santoku fits in nicely between the two.
Japanese chefs keep their knives parallel to the cutting board and employ a pushing motion, as opposed to the rocking motion of western chefs, to make their cuts. This difference in technique is reflected in the knives; Japanese knives have less belly than western knives. The santoku is no exception.
The santoku-bocho is also sometimes mockingly referred to as a "housewife's knife" because that's who it was created for in the first place. It's reduced length and heft makes it easier to handle for a non-professional home cook in a typically cramped Japanese kitchen.
Another defining characteristic of the santoku is its cost and accessibility. A suitable santoku can be had for ~ 2000 yen (~$20 USD) at just about any home center or kitchen products store in Japan.
For an at-home cook trying to find one knife that will deal with the vast bulk of your kitchen area jobs with reasonable effectiveness, a santoku-bocho will do great. My mom has been utilizing a ceramic Kyocera santoku nearly daily for the past 15 years. If you see a great santoku-bocho for a good price, absolutely buy it if you do not have one currently.
The term santoku literally implies "three virtues", however the term more specifically describes the santoku-bochou's promoted capability to manage vegetables, fish, and meat. It is also called bunka-bocho (cultural kitchen knife) or banno-bocho (multi-purpose kitchen knife).
The nakiri-bocho ("knife for cutting greens "), which resembles a thin cleaver or Chinese chef's knife, was the most popular household kitchen knife long before the santoku-bocho debuted. For the majority of its documented history, the Japanese dietary plan was mainly seafood, vegetables and rice. Therefore, the requirement for anything like the long, pointed chef's knife was limited.
Sometime during the course of the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), more meat started appearing in addition to the traditional diet as a result of western influences. Consequently, chef's knives (known in Japan as gyuto, actually "beef knife") came into use in Japan from overseas. Still, it wasn't until the post-WWII economic boom (~ 1950) that ordinary Japanese families started to adopt western-style cooking.
In the post-war economic recovery period, average families began to include more meat with their standard diet of vegetables and seafood. This necessitated a knife that could handle all three types of food, and thus the santoku-bocho was born. Put a naikiri-bocho next to a western chef's knife and you'll see that the santoku fits in nicely between the two.
Japanese chefs keep their knives parallel to the cutting board and employ a pushing motion, as opposed to the rocking motion of western chefs, to make their cuts. This difference in technique is reflected in the knives; Japanese knives have less belly than western knives. The santoku is no exception.
The santoku-bocho is also sometimes mockingly referred to as a "housewife's knife" because that's who it was created for in the first place. It's reduced length and heft makes it easier to handle for a non-professional home cook in a typically cramped Japanese kitchen.
Another defining characteristic of the santoku is its cost and accessibility. A suitable santoku can be had for ~ 2000 yen (~$20 USD) at just about any home center or kitchen products store in Japan.
For an at-home cook trying to find one knife that will deal with the vast bulk of your kitchen area jobs with reasonable effectiveness, a santoku-bocho will do great. My mom has been utilizing a ceramic Kyocera santoku nearly daily for the past 15 years. If you see a great santoku-bocho for a good price, absolutely buy it if you do not have one currently.
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There is a reason why Tokyo has more Michelin stars than Paris. Japanese kitchens are a fascinating product of centuries of culinary heritage. If you want to learn more about Japanese and other Asian cooking supplies, recipes, and techniques, check out our blog at fareastcoastkitchen.com