Usuba bocho
Encyclopedia
Usuba knives are the traditional vegetable knife for the professional Japanese chef. Like other Japanese professional knives, usuba are chisel ground, and have a bevel on the front side, and have a hollow ground urasuki on the back side. Usuba characteristically have a flat edge, with little or no curve, and are tall, to allow knuckle clearance when chopping on a cutting board
. Usuba literally means "thin blade" indicating its relative thinness compared to other knives, required for cutting through firm vegetables without them cracking. The Kanto variation have a square blunt tip, making it appear like a small meat cleaver
. The Kansai, kamagata style variation has a spine that drops down to the edge at the tip, allowing the usuba to do fine delicate work. However, this tip is also delicate and can be broken easily. The usuba is particularly popular with Kyoto
chefs, who use the Kamagata usuba for most of their work. Since Kyoto is landlocked, they rely more heavily on vegetables than Tokyo
, making the usuba the quintessential knife of professional chefs in Kyoto. In Kyoto cuisine, the versatile tip allows for intricate cuts and preparations, however due to its height and straight edge usuba in general are used for chopping vegetables, and specialized cuts such as katsuramuki, shaving a vegetable cylinder into a thin sheet.
The nakiri bōchō
are similarly made but sharpened from both sides. They are preferred for home use.
Cutting board
A cutting board is a durable board on which to place material for cutting. Common is the kitchen cutting board used in preparing food; other types exist for cutting raw materials such as leather or plastic....
. Usuba literally means "thin blade" indicating its relative thinness compared to other knives, required for cutting through firm vegetables without them cracking. The Kanto variation have a square blunt tip, making it appear like a small meat cleaver
Cleaver (knife)
A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for hacking through bones as a kitchen knife or butcher knife, and can also be used for crushing via its broad side, typically garlic....
. The Kansai, kamagata style variation has a spine that drops down to the edge at the tip, allowing the usuba to do fine delicate work. However, this tip is also delicate and can be broken easily. The usuba is particularly popular with Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
chefs, who use the Kamagata usuba for most of their work. Since Kyoto is landlocked, they rely more heavily on vegetables than Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, making the usuba the quintessential knife of professional chefs in Kyoto. In Kyoto cuisine, the versatile tip allows for intricate cuts and preparations, however due to its height and straight edge usuba in general are used for chopping vegetables, and specialized cuts such as katsuramuki, shaving a vegetable cylinder into a thin sheet.
The nakiri bōchō
Nakiri bocho
Nakiri bōchō and usuba bōchō are Japanese-style vegetable knives. They differ from the deba bōchō in their shape, as they have a straight blade edge suitable for cutting all the way to the cutting board without the need for a horizontal pull or push. These knives are also much thinner...
are similarly made but sharpened from both sides. They are preferred for home use.