When it comes to food, most people are only concerned about how it tastes. But then there’s people who don’t only make food to fill the stomach but to please the eyes too. While most people are okay with their plain toast every morning, Japanese designer Manami Sasaki has decided to turn every slice into a stunning piece of artwork. If you’re already familiar with Japanese culinary arts, you may have already seen this one.
In Japan, there’s a culinary practice called kyaraben where artistic moms turn ordinary meals into fantastic art. Yes, they do that on a regular basis as a way to entice their kids to eat their meals. Sasaki, however, uses toasted bread as an edible canvas. She uses an assortment of condiments to draw her designs which were mostly inspired by Japanese traditions. Her first creation was the sakura-inspired design where she used a mixture of blueberry jam and chocolate to draw the cherry blossoms.
This designer turns ordinary toast into amazing artwork
She was inspired to draw the cherry blossoms on her breakfast one morning when she saw the pink flowers floating along the river in her neighborhood. Around this time, locals and tourists alike used to flock together to watch the bewitching cherry blossoms in bloom. But due to the current crisis, the charming flowers will have to wither away without spectators. Sasaki felt sad that people won’t be able to see the blooming sakura flowers this year. But she is hopeful that everyone can see them next year.
Her sakura-inspired design immediately caught the eyes of the internet when she shared the photos on Instagram. To show the actual result, she reveals how the art turns out after it has been grilled. People were mesmerized by her unique art and unusual choice of canvas and they kept asking her for more. And her next creation, a shiratsubaki-inspired design, obviously didn’t disappoint. She used tomato sauce for the red background, mint leaves for the leaves, margarine for the petals and mustard for the pollen.
Apart from Japanese traditions, Sasaki also finds inspiration from the works of renowned artists such as Paul Rand and Bruno Munari. She also made a design as a tribute to Pantone colors which are often used by artists and designers just like her. Follow her on Instagram to see her mouthwatering art.
Japanese Rock Garden: Sour cream, nuts and matcha
Gegege no Kitaro: Margarine, blueberry jam and chocolate
Kintsugi: Sour cream, edible gold leaf and ketchup
Nihon Buyo (1981): Sour cream, seaweed, tomato, basil, paprika, purple cabbage and cabbage
Pantone: Avocado dip, sour cream and baked seaweed
Miffy by Dick Bruna: Tarako mayo, sour cream, seaweed and cheddar cheese
Tutto Quadro by Bruno Munari: Cherry tomato, basil, seaweed and sour cream
Paul Rand: Seaweed, petit tomato, cheese, basil, purple cabbage and sour cream
Hanafuda: Sour cream, shirasu, blue seaweed, grilled seaweed, mentaiko, and cherry tomato
IBM Poster (1970): Paprika, macadamia nuts, grilled seaweed, sausage, cheese, watercress and purple cabbage
Moon Toast: Squid Ink
Hyakunin Isshu: Sour cream, dried bonito flakes, squid sprinkle with salmon, cheese, purple cabbage, shirasu and blue seaweed
Franco Grignani: Sour cream, black pepper and ketchup
Source: Instagram