Necessity is the mother of all inventions, and most of them are born in the kitchen. That’s what Nikkei cuisine is about—an invention born out of the fusion of two cuisines by Japanese immigrants who came to the shores of Peru in the early 19th century. A jugaad of sorts, it happened right in the middle of trying to find their fortune with farmland and gold mines, as they desperately missed a taste of home. Interestingly, we will get to experience the best of Nikkei cuisine alongside eclectic cocktails at Dashanzi, as Chef Juan Carlos and Jakaria Yahya from Jakarta’s highest rooftop lounge and bar, Henshin, take over the restaurant all through this week.

Over an email interview, Chef Carlos discusses Nikkei cuisine in a bit more detail. He says, “To this day, the most well-known Nikkei twist is integrated with Peruvian ingredients. Peru has the second-largest Japanese population in South America after Brazil, which continuously informs the history and evolution of Nikkei cuisine in the country. For instance, many years ago, Peruvians used to marinate the authentic ceviche for approximately two hours, until the Japanese introduced them to the two-minute marination method, preserving the fresh rawness. This is how we started with Nikkei cuisine—we started to learn and adapt to Japanese cooking techniques.”