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 direct translation of the name "santoku-bocho" is "three virtue kitchen knife". The "three virtues" refer to fish, seafood, and meat (the three foods one would need a knife for) and the santoku's purported ability to cut these foods in many ways. A more practical translation for "santoku" would be "all-purpose".
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.
More meat started to appear in the Japanese diet during the Meiji Restoration due to western influences. This lead to the proliferation of western chef's knives, or as they are known in Japanese, gyuto ("beef knife"). Still, pre-WWII, ordinary Japanese families did not eat much meat.
In the recovery period after WWII, the scene was set for the santoku-bocho's debut. Average families began to incorporate more meat in addition to their usual diet of fish and vegetables. Thus was born the need for a knife that could handle these three foods (or "virtues"). The santoku filled this need by striking a happy balance between the naikiri-bocho and the western chef's knife.
In general, the bladed edge of Japanese knives are much flatter than that of western knives. This is due to the Japanese style of "pushing" cuts as opposed to the western style "rocking" cuts. Thus you will notice that santoku-bochos also have flatter cutting edges.
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.
Santoku-bochos are sold just about everywhere in Japan. You could pick a decent one up from your local supermarket for less than 2000 yen ($20 USD).
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 direct translation of the name "santoku-bocho" is "three virtue kitchen knife". The "three virtues" refer to fish, seafood, and meat (the three foods one would need a knife for) and the santoku's purported ability to cut these foods in many ways. A more practical translation for "santoku" would be "all-purpose".
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.
More meat started to appear in the Japanese diet during the Meiji Restoration due to western influences. This lead to the proliferation of western chef's knives, or as they are known in Japanese, gyuto ("beef knife"). Still, pre-WWII, ordinary Japanese families did not eat much meat.
In the recovery period after WWII, the scene was set for the santoku-bocho's debut. Average families began to incorporate more meat in addition to their usual diet of fish and vegetables. Thus was born the need for a knife that could handle these three foods (or "virtues"). The santoku filled this need by striking a happy balance between the naikiri-bocho and the western chef's knife.
In general, the bladed edge of Japanese knives are much flatter than that of western knives. This is due to the Japanese style of "pushing" cuts as opposed to the western style "rocking" cuts. Thus you will notice that santoku-bochos also have flatter cutting edges.
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.
Santoku-bochos are sold just about everywhere in Japan. You could pick a decent one up from your local supermarket for less than 2000 yen ($20 USD).
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.
About the Author:
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
