Carve and Create: Salad Making & Vegetable Carving Contest

Vegetable carving is the art of sculpting vegetables into lovely things like flowers or birds. It’s done with several approaches for specific results.

Vegetable carving has a long history, dating back to the Asuka period in Japan (675-700AD) when Buddhist monks’ growing expertise was imported from Korea, and religious objects were decorated with it. Then, during the Heian Period (794-1192 AD), when art was developed into a high art form, the craft improved considerably.

There are numerous names for vegetable carving, depending on where you live in the world. Some examples include “vegetable sculpting,” “flower carving,” and the Japanese term Ogata, which means “stamping.”

In the mid-20th century, the art of food/vegetable cutting began to be known outside of Asia. Since then, other civilizations have gradually come to appreciate the aesthetics and culture associated with it.

Vegetable carving is most often associated with flowers or birds, although the only limit is one’s creativity. The methods of vegetable carving are diverse from person to person, as are the final results. Some have more artistic detail, while others have basic yet beautiful forms. Vegetable carving is typically served as a garnish, but it may also be used to arrange flowers.