Figured slicing and carving of vegetables and fruits “Delicious floral fantasy.”

Simple cutting of vegetables and fruits step by step with photos

Guest Ksenia Aleksandrovna, physical education teacher, Municipal Educational Institution “School No. 53”, Oktyabrsky village, Lyubertsy district, Moscow region.
Goal and tasks:
- development of creative abilities and imagination;
- form aesthetic taste;
- cultivate accuracy in performing work, caution;
- learn to cut vegetables using the carving technique
Purpose:
This master class is intended for high school children, teachers, parents and creative people. This design of dishes is suitable for any holiday, banquet and, simply, to improve the perception of food and good mood.

For decoration we will need:
Tomato, cucumber, lemon, orange, pear, apple, kiwi, onion, cutting board, 2 knives (large and small with teeth), 2 flat plates, towel.

Progress.

Carving(from English carving - "cutting out") - the art of artistic cutting of vegetables and fruits, as well as wood, ice and stones.
Advice for a beginner carvinger Not every fruit or vegetable is suitable for carving. So, for example, radishes should be large and bright, carrots should be even and smooth, oranges should be very fresh. It is better to take apples with smooth skin, cucumbers - smooth and with dark skin, pumpkins with rough skin have denser and easier-to-work with flesh. Decorations should match the dish in color, as well as taste. It is better to decorate meat dishes with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and seafood with lemons. Fruits will serve as an excellent decoration for dessert or as a delicacy in their own right. When choosing combinations of products, give preference to contrasting colors - the compositions will be more enchanting. Red, green, yellow are favorites. Fruits and vegetables for carving must be clean and dry. There must be a golden mean in everything. You should not overly decorate dishes - moderation is important in everything.

1) The first vegetable we’ll start with is the tomato. Cut it in half and cut off the unnecessary part.

2) Then use a sharp knife to thinly slice one of the tomato halves.

If it is small, then you can combine two chopped halves into one. As in the photo.

3) After this, we “stretch” the tomato as thin as possible and begin to twist it into flowers.

4) To carefully transfer the finished flower to a plate, you need to grab it with both hands, pressing it on all sides.

Ready! You can put a lettuce leaf on the bottom of the plate.

5) Our flower is missing something. You can add parsley or make cucumber bells. To do this, place a cucumber on your palm. Using a sharp small knife, pointing it towards yourself, we cut the cucumber in the shape of a petal, plunging the knife blade to the middle. Then, turning it, we cut two more petals.

6) You should get a bell with three petals. To separate the flower from the cucumber, you need to turn it slightly and it will fall off on its own.

Then you can continue in the same order until the cucumber runs out.

You can add strips of pepper or olives to the middle of the bells.

7) You can also cut thin strips of cucumber and fold it in half without breaking it to complement our dish.

8) Gradually we move on to the bow. What can be made from onions? We can make it into a water lily. To do this, you need to peel the onion and soak it in cold water so that we don’t cry. Then you need to cut it evenly with cloves, plunging the knife only to the middle. When finished, it will easily separate into two halves.

All parts of the onion must be removed and assembled to form a flower.

9) Our decoration for the dish is ready and you can add chopped vegetables or assorted sausages.

If you want to treat your guests to sandwiches, you can use the middle for a tomato flower.

10) The vegetable decoration is ready. Now you can start decorating the fruit plate. To do this, we need to cut half an orange as described above.

11) We do the same with lemon.

By the way, lemon flower goes very well with fish products.

12) Next, cut the kiwi, as in the photo. You can decorate a plate or place it like this on top of fruit.

13) Right now it’s my favorite. Apple and pear wings. We will need halves of fruit.

Visually divide the apple in half. I cut out a strip for you, for clarity. On one of the halves we find the middle and immerse the knife, slightly deepening it. To make it easier to imagine, we seem to be cutting off the peel. You need to get half a petal.

Then on the other side we do the same, but we cut exactly to the corners made. You need to be careful not to cut off excess. The result was a leaf.

Stepping back from the cut 2-3mm, cut out the next leaf.

We cut until we reach our “border” of the apple.

Now we connect all the parts and move them apart so that we get a wing.

14) These wings look like petals, so they can be used in cooking to decorate any dishes. To prevent the apple from darkening, you need to sprinkle it with lemon or dip it in acidified water.

Carving – “cutting out patterns”. A high-speed descent for skiers with a series of carved turns, long-term styling of curls and curls, patterned carvings on wood, stone, soap, ice, vegetables - all this is included in the concept of “carving”.
We present the most beautiful works of artistic carving of vegetables and fruits.

(12 photos of fruit carvings)

The edible direction of carving (culinary carving) - cutting out marvelous patterned figures from vegetables and fruits - is used today by many chefs to decorate holiday tables.

The intricacy of figures carved from various products brings culinary carving closer to a primitive art form. But such art is very short-lived, because the material here is living and tender material - vegetables and fruits.

History of carving.

This unique art arose in medieval, half-starved, populous Southeast Asia, and not in more prosperous Europe.

Europeans had quite a variety of high-calorie foods at their disposal. The diet of Europeans included meat from domestic animals, fish, poultry, fruits, cereals, game, vegetables... The prepared dishes had to be, above all, nourishing and tasty. Even the tables of the European nobility were not particularly decorated.

But in ancient Asia there was no such variety of products. Often Asians had to be content with predominantly plant foods. An ordinary meal often turned into a whole ritual, and special attention was paid to the design of any product, which gave impetus to the development of the whole art of decorating dishes.

One century replaced another, and the artistic carving of fruits developed its own special national features.
Chinese-Japanese technology is characterized by images of dragons, inscriptions with congratulations, and historical scenes. Sino-Japanese carving comes down to extruding hieroglyphs or figures using a standard set of notches and stencils.

Thai carving masters have a more subtle carving technique and a more complex set of tools. The festive table in Thailand is traditionally decorated with carved flowers, because the symbol of this state is the orchid. To create amazingly graceful flower arrangements, narrow and thin “Thai knives” with a whole arsenal of cutters of different configurations are used.

It is clear that Chinese-Japanese technology is much easier to master. But the work of Thai masters looks much more refined and beautiful.

Carving today.

Interest in carving came to European countries along with the fashionable passion for oriental cuisine. Restaurant chefs have become interested in curly cutting to give table settings an unusual and attractive look.

Food exhibitions and culinary shows have already become a long-standing tradition of decorating with all kinds of fruit carvings. After all, there are no qualitatively new ideas and inventions like carving in modern cooking.

The world of modern cooking is full of innovation. In the era of accessibility of various cuisines of the world, it becomes quite difficult to surprise sophisticated gourmets. But what if, in addition to the taste of food, you could amaze with its amazing appearance?! You can surprise, create edible masterpieces, and give the usual forms of products unimaginable shapes with the help of carving vegetables and fruits.

History of carving

It's no secret that everything ingenious is simple. This is how one can characterize the amazing art of carving, which arose many thousands of years ago in the vastness of the eastern lands of Asia.
Carving owes its appearance to attempts to somehow diversify the meager diet, which has always been in short supply among the poor residents of East Asia. However, in contrast, they had an abundance of intelligence and ingenuity, which allowed carving to be born. There is one legend according to which one day a rich gentleman came to visit a poor family. He demanded to set the table, but the hostess had nothing in stock except a few fruits and vegetables. Fearing the master's anger, the hostess decided to deceive him. She created strange birds and animals from fruits and vegetables, which amazed the rich gentleman so much that he did not dare try these creations - they were so beautiful. Since then, all residents of the country, as well as nearby ones, began to decorate their tables, creating incredible compositions from simple products.
Modern carving of vegetables and fruits is still one of the most interesting arts in Asian countries. However, it is worth noting that his techniques have made significant progress. If previously there was not even a good knife in service, today the field of possibilities is expanding, thanks to modern tools. However, many masters adhere to the classics - they try to follow ancient methods, avoiding newfangled devices.

Is it possible to do carving at home?

The answer to this question is of course yes! Not only possible, but absolutely necessary! This art will allow you to incredibly diversify your long-familiar home-cooked food. It is generally accepted in the world that carving is a matter of creativity, and has no special relationship to the world of food as such. However, we dare to resist such speculation. Thanks to carving, food can be not only tasty and healthy, but also beautiful. An example is the classic dish - mashed potatoes with cutlets. Speaking of composition, it’s quite difficult to add flavor to this dish. The inability to create shapes, as well as the consistency unsuitable for design, keep the dish within certain limits. However, it can be added brightness and novelty by decorating it with vegetables, which take on their new forms using the carving technique. Having learned all the subtleties of art, you will be surprised by all the facets that will open before you.

Modern types of carving

Nowadays, the current carving of vegetables and fruits is usually divided into several directions. These include:

• Chinese
• Japanese
• Thai
• European

1) Chinese carving is an amazing world where food is transformed using stencils. Although in Chinese carving it is also customary to create compositions using a knife, the stencil still takes the place of the classics.
The difference between this direction is the choice in favor of vegetables. The only exceptions are watermelon and melon. The explanation is very logical - the art of stencil carving requires a larger area than other subtypes. In addition, the creation of stencil carving implies maximum surface rigidity, which most fruits cannot boast of.

2) Japanese carving from vegetables and fruits - a real immersion in history. Having absorbed the best traditions of their brother (China and its carving techniques), the Japanese decided to introduce a feature. She began the traditional carving of hieroglyphs, as well as the creation of complex paintings based on martial art. The apple and watermelon have become classic objects for Japanese technology.

3) European type of carving– a combination of the traditions of the East with the classics of the North. This type stands out in a special direction, since Europe, unlike Asian countries, is much richer in terms of products. European style techniques are distinguished by their brevity and focus on geometry. The flight of oriental fantasy in this genre is not so pronounced. The emphasis is on ease of further use.

4) Thai carving of vegetables and fruits– the quintessence of this art. It is the Thai version that has gained wide popularity around the world. The reasons for this phenomenon are simple - the Thais create the most complex compositions. In their work they strive for perfection, since for them carving vegetables and fruits is not just an art, but a real lifestyle.
It should be noted that most famous schools and even carving academies focus their attention on the Thai version.

There are several reasons for this:

• in the Thai version there are many techniques that are available to beginners;
• there are no restrictions on art - the creator can turn off the control of fantasy and create his own masterpieces;
• combinatoriality, which is expressed in the possibility of combining different techniques;
• no need to purchase a wide range of equipment to create compositions.

Based on this, for the purposes of our lesson, it would be wise to focus on the Thai method.

Tools for creating masterpieces

Now it is necessary to cover in more detail the basic tools that you will need to master the art of carving. There are a huge number of variations among them, but the main ones are:

Additional elements that you may need as you improve your practice include:

However, this list is far from complete. The popularity of carving has led to constant developments in the field, often resulting in new tools.

The basis of mastery, or the secrets of professionals

In order for your first experience to be as productive as possible, it is worth paying attention to the developments of famous carving masters.
The main postulates that will allow you to successfully begin to improve in your chosen field include the following points:

The main thing in carving is practice. Over time, you will be able to learn how to correctly calculate the force of pressure on the knife, as well as the angle of its direction.
Additionally, masters note that imagination plays a huge role in carving. Even if something didn’t work out for you, look at your creation from a different angle - perhaps your small flaw or small mistake allowed the birth of a new technique.

From theory to practice: carving for beginners

Now that the basics of this art have become clear to you, it’s time to try out the acquired knowledge in practice. In order to achieve the best result, you should gradually increase the complexity of the work. Through such gradation, you will develop skills that will make any element available to you for production in the future.
First of all, we choose the object of creation. Experts advise starting with the following candidates:

• cucumber;
• carrot;
• apple

They have earned such trust due to their qualities - their dense consistency allows you to obtain the necessary skill with minimal loss of quality.
So, let's see what masterpieces a beginner in the carving theme can make.

1. Cucumber flower

You need to take one thick, long cucumber. We cut the middle into halves (you need 2-3 pieces), and we will use the edge with the “tail” to add color to the composition and create a flower.

We make six cuts in the flower part, not reaching two cm to the tail (use a long knife).

We cut the resulting blank along the edges to create the outlines of the petals, as in the photo (use a Thai knife).

Remove the core of the cucumber (if you don’t have a special knife, you can carefully do it with a spoon). Next, we make the cloves with a Thai knife.

Now use a Thai knife to carefully separate the skin from the pulp. To top it off, make small triangular windows at the base.

Place the workpiece in ice water - this way you will be able to straighten the future petals.

Make a round core from the cucumber pulp, which must be decorated with an ornament and placed inside the flower.

We cut the cucumber without reaching the base, as shown in the photo (7 layers each).

We divide the plates into 7 pieces.

We make bends of each even plate (in one direction);

Let's put everything together and enjoy the creation of our hands!

2. Carrot cloves

It is necessary to cut the carrots according to the proportions shown in the photo.

On the long part, using a Thai knife, you need to cut grooves. Their number can be unlimited, but you shouldn’t make them too small.

Next, cut the resulting part with grooves so that you get thin flowers.

The remaining part needs to be corrected - cut its edges so that it takes a cone-shaped shape.

On the wide side, using a Thai knife, you need to create a kind of mesh.

Create pockets for the finished petals using shallow longitudinal cuts.

Place the petal blanks in the cut pockets.

The cloves are ready.

For beauty, you can decorate the core with dried cloves or something else.

3. Apple flower

Arm yourself with a hard apple and a Thai knife.

Cut 1/4 off the side where the apple has its tail.

Carefully, without reaching the end, separate the peel with a thin layer of pulp from the core. It is also necessary to make 13 cuts - they will serve as blanks for the petals.

Using the marks, make triangular cuts, creating petals on the apple.

Now you need to repeat 13 marks and cut the petals from the apple pulp in the same way.
Important! The petals of the second level should be between the petals of the first level.

The procedure should be repeated with another row of pulp.

Next, create the last row of petals. You should remove the seeds from the middle and fill it with something of your choice. Something brighter would look good.

Thus, carving vegetables and fruits is an amazing activity. It preserves the traditions of the ancient East, while simultaneously combining them with new technologies. Allows you to turn food into works of art that give us not only satiation with food, but also aesthetic pleasure.

By trying your hand at carving, you will be able to diversify your homemade food, as well as surprise your family and guests with your extraordinary approach to creating dishes.

It is necessary to have not only skill and good taste, but also special knives for carving. In this article you will learn how to choose the right knives for carving, what types of knives there are and what they can be used for.

Carving knives - everything you need to know about them

Not only knives, but also special tools and devices can be used for carving. For now we will focus our attention only on knives. In the meantime, watch this short video to get you started.

Classification of carving knives

Conventionally, all carving knives can be divided into several groups according to blade type:

The types of carving knives listed above are the main ones. The first three are the most popular. Of course, besides these, there are many other tools and devices (for cutting spirals and serpentine, for cutting straws, etc.), which will be discussed in the following articles on the blog. It is also worth noting that such devices are used not only in cooking, but also in other similar areas of decoration and engraving. Having such a large arsenal of knives on hand, learn carving not difficult.

Carving knife blades

The metal from which carving knives are made must also be special. Some knives are designed exclusively for stabbing movements; they cannot cut. The blade of such tools must be very thin (compared to traditional kitchen knives), as a thick blade will provide more resistance when penetrating the fruit. A thin blade will not only go in easier, but the cut will also be more accurate. Of course, a thin blade is less durable, so the steel of most carving knives must be very hard. Unfortunately, hard steel has its drawbacks - it is brittle, so dropping a carving tool, like a hairdressing tool, is highly recommended.

Sometimes flexible steel knives that can bend a little are useful, such as long sickle-shaped knives. They are an exception to the general rule. Not only good material makes a tool durable and reliable, do not forget that proper handling plays a significant role.

Carving knife handles

Carving knives are significantly different from ordinary kitchen knives. These differences lie not only in the specially shaped blades, but also in the handle. A carving knife should fit comfortably in your hand so that you can comfortably work with it for a long time. An uncomfortable handle will cause unnecessary stress on the hand and tire you out. Therefore, you need to try to choose a handle that is comfortable for you. The most popular handles are made of rough polyamide. On the one hand, they are quite light, durable and hygienic, and on the other hand, they fit well in the hand and do not slip. The handles should be well sanded, without burrs or nicks.

You also need to pay attention to the weight and balancing of the knife. The ease of use of a knife largely depends on where the center of gravity is located in relation to other parts of the knife and the hand of the master. Since the blades of carving knives are usually short and relatively thin, the center of gravity is shifted back towards the handle. They try to make carving knives as light as possible so that excess weight does not affect the accuracy of movements even during very long work. Many professional carving knives weigh only 50-70 grams.

Sharpening blades on carving knives

For knives to work effectively, they need proper sharpening. Each blade must be sharpened at a certain angle and evenly. For some carving knives that have shaped blades, this is very difficult to do. Many people have heard of laser sharpening, but few understand what it means. Sharpening is not carried out directly with a laser; it can only harden the blade or check the sharpening angle. An evenly and evenly sharpened edge will ensure good performance and will not allow the knife to quickly become dull. Find out how

Carving is the art of cutting shapes on fruits, vegetables, chocolate, and cheese. As a matter of fact, literally translated from English, where the definition itself comes from, carving means “cutting.”

History of carving

As you might guess, the art of figurative carving of fruits and vegetables came to Europe from Asia. But it is still not clear who was the first to discover carving - the Chinese or the Thais.

Although there is a legend: after the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand (the year is not specified, but the approximate period is the 12th century), the king liked the presented bowl with figurines of a bird and a flower carved from vegetables and fruits so much that he wished that every woman could do this. After this, carving spread throughout the East, and decorating tables and dishes in this way became a tradition.

Over time, the art of figured carving on fruits and vegetables began to develop in European countries. But carving has not received the same recognition as in China and Thailand. Most likely, this is due to the fact that in Asian countries fruits predominate, therefore, in order to somehow diversify the table, people resorted to such tricks as carving. In Europe, dishes were much more varied, so they began to decorate the table with carved figures of vegetables and fruits only with the development of the restaurant industry.

Now carving has two main styles: European and Asian. Their differences are:

• choosing fruits and vegetables;
• cutting technique;
• some instruments;
• stories.

Carving knives and other tools

To do a good job, you need to use the proper basic tools. In the carving technique, these are special knives. This is due to the fact that using ordinary ones, you simply will not achieve the desired result. For example, you may not be able to create openwork patterns.

Carving knives:

• pike knife: useful for cutting lace, suitable for large and small products;
• triangular watermelon knife;
• screw knife: used for cutting round spirals of dense vegetables and fruits (for example, potatoes, apples), removing the core and for stuffing;
• knife for wavy cutting;
• knife with a square section: useful for cutting out patterns and various shapes;
• “Wavy Oval” knife: needed to create petals;
• Dovetail knife: useful for creating triangular-shaped petals;
• zest knife;
• Thai knife: needed to create fine patterns on thick peels.

Additional tools for carving:

• carrot sharpener: helps to make various decorations from carrots (for example, flowers);
• double-sided noisette spoon: helps to cut out spheres of different sizes from vegetables and fruits;
• figured double-sided noisette spoon;
• vegetable peeler;
• culinary tweezers;
• die-cut molds.

Carving tools can be purchased either individually or in sets, which are divided into regular and professional. A regular set contains only 3-4 knives. A professional set consists of several knives and additional tools (usually about 10-15 pieces). The kit also includes a book and DVD with master classes and useful tips.

Carving technique

Asian carvings are complex compositions of exotic vegetables and fruits. The patterns are dominated by hieroglyphs and oriental motifs (for example, dragons and battle scenes). And in the process of carving, craftsmen use many tools, stencils and shapes.

European carving is a very beautiful and relatively affordable method. It uses the simplest vegetables and fruits. Intricate patterns and figures are extremely rare.

Carving training

After the revolution of 1932, the art of fruit and vegetable carving lost some of its former popularity in Thailand. Therefore, the authorities decided to conduct training courses, and today carving is taught in schools to children over the age of eleven.

In European countries there are also special training courses that provide programs for beginners, advanced masters, as well as mini-programs for creating certain patterns. Such courses are not cheap, and their duration takes about seven to eight hours, which are divided into several classes. After training, you will be provided with a certificate of completion of figure cutting classes - kacarving. Reviews from graduates indicate that some became so passionate about this art that they even began to make money from it. After all, figuratively carved vegetables and fruits can be sold.

Mastering the carving technique at home is more difficult, but possible. To do this, you need to stock up on tools and educational materials: special literature and videos that contain lessons from real teachers in the carving technique. Master classes from amateurs or without illustrations will not allow you to truly master this technique. This should be taken into account.

Master class: fruit carving for beginners

Beginners in carving can easily make a vase basket from a watermelon.

Sequence of work:

1. Take a watermelon. Wash it thoroughly and dry it.
2. Lightly mark the middle along the entire diameter with the tip of a knife.
3. Make a template of one pen link on construction paper.
4. Attach the template to the wall of the watermelon, perpendicular to the drawn middle, using tape.
5. Trace the template with the tip of a knife.
6. Move the template above and transfer it to the watermelon. Draw the entire handle of the basket in this way.
7. Carefully cut off the watermelon parts on the sides of the handle (you get two quarters), but do not touch the pulp underneath.
8. Cut through the middle of the links on the handle.
9. Using a spoon, scrape the pulp out of the space under the handle, leaving about two centimeters on the handle itself.
10. Make curly edges on the watermelon half, which serves as a basket.
11. Use a spoon to remove the pulp from half the watermelon, leaving about two centimeters on the sides.
12. Fill the finished watermelon basket with small berries: grapes, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, cherries.

The edible basket is ready!

1. You need to use only fresh and smooth vegetables and fruits. They should also be well washed and dry.
2. The cut out decorations should match the color and taste of the main dishes.
3. All tools must be well sharpened.
4. Place finished fruit works (except melon and watermelon) in cold water for ten minutes.