Japanese Food Culture 5-Sushi

It seems that the history of the beginning of sushi is not in Japan.

There is also a theory that the origin of sushi is the preserved fish food of the mountainous people of Southeast Asia, and that it was developed to preserve fish that are difficult to obtain due to the highlands for a long period of time.

This is different from the current nigiri-zushi.

Japanese sushi has a history of over 1000 years. Even in this era, it was different from the sushi we eat today.

The birth of nigiri-zushi is said to be around 1829 in Edo (the old name for Tokyo).

Around this time, it was closer to the current nigiri-zushi, but the difference is that the sushi at that time seemed to be super big. After that, it spread to the Kansai area.

Inari-zushi and maki-zushi also appeared in 1844.

Over time, it has now evolved into sushi in the world.

(Reference material: Wikipedia)

About the difference between sushi and sashimi.

Sushi is a staple food and sashimi is a side dish.

Rice is used for sushi.

Sashimi is introduced in "Japanese Information Japanese Food Culture 4 Sashimi".

Fish and shellfish are eaten raw.

They are cut into thick slices.

Sushi is eaten with thinly sliced fish and shellfish on top of "vinegared rice = sumeshi".

Nigiri-zushi is lightly squeezed by a sushi chef and then eaten with sliced fish and shellfish.

For nigiri-zushi, you can understand the skill of a sushi chef by how to hold "vinegared rice = sumeshi".

An advanced sushi chef is the one who holds the vinegared rice so that it naturally crumbles in the mouth.

Sushi chefs do not hold vinegared rice firmly.

It is the technology of sushi robots that holds firmly.

We hope that through Japanese sushi, you will deepen your understanding of Japan.