Sushi was the pièce de résistance at a dinner hosted at the residence of the consul general of Japan, and on this evening, one of the busiest people in the house was not a member of the kitchen staff but a senior diplomat.

Deputy consul general Ashida Katsunori had traded diplomatic duties for a chef’s apron, taking charge of a sushi spread that showcased Japan’s iconic vinegared rice-and-seafood delicacy. Most of the ingredients had been supplied by a Japanese grocery company catering to expatriates in India.

“We made about 700 pieces. It took us eight hours in all,” said Katsunori, pausing briefly between arranging platters for guests. He said he had learnt the craft from a professional chef attached to the Japanese ambassador during a posting in Australia.

“Then YouTube became my coach and helped me improve my skills,” he said with a smile. “I have been making sushi since 2004. I am also a singer, but today I will not sing.”

As canapés circulated through the gathering, consul general Yoshihisa Ishikawa proudly introduced his colleague. “He is a skilled diplomat and a skilled sushi chef,” Ishikawa said to appreciative applause. “There are more than 200 Japanese diplomatic offices around the world. I am sure it is only in this city that a diplomat makes sushi. I heard he started at three o’clock in the morning and continued all afternoon.”

The first varieties to disappear were the grilled eel and steamed shrimp sushi. Guests queued eagerly for second helpings. “This is the best sushi I have had outside Japan,” said Astrid Wege, director of Max Mueller Bhavan. “Yes, the salmon was the nicest,” agreed Barbara Voss, the German consul general.

Across the room, US consul general Kathy Giles-Diaz handled her chopsticks with notable ease. “I first went to Japan when I was 16,” she recalled. “Before the trip, I practised using chopsticks. The first dish I had to tackle was fish.”

The ingredients for the evening’s sushi feast — including yellowfin tuna, scallops, salmon and eel — had been supplied free of cost by Maindish.in, an online Japanese grocery store that has become an indispensable resource for many Japanese residents in Calcutta.

Members of the expatriate community were effusive in their praise for the service. “When I first came to Calcutta, I was so worried about not finding the things we use at home that I arrived with nearly 100kg of luggage,” said Yukiko Yuasa, who has lived in the city for 11 years. “Life has become so much easier since Maindish started delivering here. They supply not only Japanese rice, condiments such as wasabi and miso, and frozen fish for sashimi and sushi, but also utensils like bamboo mats used for rolling sushi.”

Japanese consul general Yoshihisa Ishikawa, Cherry Ishikawa, the evening's hostess

Momoyo Nishikami, a representative of Maindish, said the company began operations in Calcutta in 2023 after establishing itself in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. “We are now present in seven cities in India,” she told t2. “Our management believes Calcutta has great potential because people here love fish. That is why we are focusing on expanding our footprint in the city.”

The consul general’s kitchen had prepared a full Japanese meal beyond the sushi options. Yet after the sushi and the comforting bowls of miso soup, it was dessert that generated the most conversation.

Guests were served Matcha Mousse with strawberry syrup, introducing many to the distinctive flavour of powdered green tea. “Matcha is a concentrated green tea powder traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies,” explained Cherry Ishikawa, the evening’s hostess and the consul general’s wife. “Nowadays it is also widely incorporated into desserts, from puddings to cheesecakes and many other sweets.”

As the evening drew to a close, consul general Ishikawa raised a toast. “We love…,” he declared, and the guests completed the sentence in unison: “Sushi!”

The spontaneous chorus summed up the mood of the evening. Cultural diplomacy had found a most effective ambassador — carefully crafted sushi — bringing people together through shared stories, laughter and the flavours of Japan.