Baking and cooking school

Fermental Cultural Anthropology

Koji Workshop with Ogura Hiraku and Maya Minder

Japanese fermentation designer Ogura Hiraku is coming to Zurich for a brief visit. As an author and educator on Japanese fermentation culture, as well as the operator of the Hakko Department in Tokyo, he has made a significant contribution—through his publications, including *Fermental Cultural Anthropology*—to making miso and koji fermentation accessible to a broad audience and raising awareness of them anew in Japan.

In the " Mühlerama ," Ogura Hiraku and Maya Minder offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of koji fermentation. We’ll learn about the history, culture, and uses of koji, and then we’ll get hands-on ourselves.

After a brief presentation by Hiraku, we’ll work together to make koji rice and even examine fresh koji under a microscope. To wrap things up, we’ll create our own koji preparation— either amazake or shio-koji—which you can take home to enjoy or use in cooking.

Course Outline

• Introduction and talk with Hiraku Ogura – approx. 30 min.
• Making Koji Rice – about 45 min.
• Observing fresh koji under a microscope – about 30 min.
• Making Amazake or Shio-Koji to Take Home – about 45 min.

A hands-on look at a centuries-old tradition of fermentation—blending microbiology, Japanese culinary culture, and personal experimentation.

Koji Song
 

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