What is more romantic than an evening of sushi for two? Although this traditional Japanese dish has only become popular in the West relatively recently, the history of this culinary art with its unique zests and colourful presentation dates back to around 700 AD. It all started with a way to preserve fish! Raw, cleaned and salted fish was placed on a layer of hand-pressed rice that was allowed to ferment, meaning that naturally occurring microbes in the rice proceeded to convert some of the carbohydrates in the rice into lactic acid, an effective preservative. Most of time the rice was discarded because it was too mushy.
It was not until the 17th century that the idea of adding vinegar to the rice to make it less soppy emerged, giving rise to the term “sushi” which means “sour rice” in Japanese. So, contrary to common belief, sushi does not mean raw fish, it just means the marriage of vinegar rice with other ingredients. As a matter of fact, many sushi dishes are prepared without any raw fish. Then, in the 1820s, chef Hanaya Yohei decided to serve sushi in its present form, just adding vinegar to the rice and forgetting about fermentation altogether. His stall on the street was the predecessor of today’s sushi bars.
Sushi names like nigiri, sashimi and temaki may sound like some sort of exotic spell, but they have very specific meaning. Let’s demystify the terms:
Sashimi is fresh, raw sliced fish, often served with wasabi, a green mustard. Watch that wasabi! It is Japanese horseradish and can be very potent!
Maki sushi contains strips of fish or vegetables rolled in rice and wrapped in crisp, thin sheets of dried seaweed called nori. There are many combinations possible, such as smoked salmon, segar crab, or fish. Those of you who feel more adventurous can sample delicacies like octopus, raw clams, sea urchin, or salted fish roe.
Nigiri sushi is a slice of fish, cooked or uncooked, pressed by hand onto a pad of rice. There are countless varieties of nigirizushi, some of the most common ones are made with tuna, shrimp, eel, squid, octopus and fried egg. There is a hint of wasabi and Nigiri is meant to be dipped in soy sauce, fish side down.
Inari sushi consists of deep-fried bean curd pouches stuffed with vinegar rice.
There are endless varieties of sushi. But one thing they all have in common is their exquisite appearance. Various designs often reflect Japanese’s fondness for nature.