“Wanmono” is a thin soup that brings out the natural flavors of the ingredients and is served as a palette cleanser after the appetizer and aperitif sake. It also goes by “Owan”, “Wanmori”, “Suimono”, and “Hashiarai”. This is also a dish that showcases the chef’s skill. Wanmono combines ingredients from the mountain and the sea with “Suikuchi (Fragrant garnish)” and “Wanzuma” which adds taste and color to the soup.
“Suikuchi (Fragrant garnish)” adds fragrance to the soup, but also brings out the flavors. It has effects such as creating a seasonal atmosphere, pulling the flavors together and whetting the appetite. Examples include leaf buds, yuzu, Japanese Sansho pepper, Japanese Myoga ginger, and flower buds of the giant butterbur plant, and they are selected to match with the soup ingredients.
Wanzuma is described as vegetables and seaweed added for the purpose of bringing out the main ingredients of the soup. These ingredients play a supporting role. It could be daikon or carrots, cut in the shapes of flowers.