What is Sushi?
When most people think of sushi, they often think of the two main ingredients: fish and rice. Many believe that fish is the main ingredient of the dish. However, what most people don’t realize, is that sushi doesn’t even need to contain fish. The reality is that rice is the foundation of all sushi. Because rice is so crucial to the dish, it’s important to know how to prepare it correctly. The rice is prepared by steaming white, short-grained Japanese rice, then mixing in rice vinegar. The chefs then combine the steamed goodness with sugar, salt, and occasionally add sake or kombu (kelp).
Essentially, anything made with vinegared rice can be considered a form of sushi. These various options include any number of ingredients; from raw or cooked fish, eggs, vegetables, sauces… the possibilities are endless! There is a huge opportunity for creativity when it comes to thinking up new combinations. But to take sushi into the future, it’s first important to know it’s past.
History of Sushi
From Humble Beginnings:
Going back to the 4th Century BC, the history of sushi originated out of necessity and a method to preserve fish. To prevent the fish from spoiling, the people of the time wrapped the fish in fermented rice. When it came time to eat, the rice was discarded and the fresh fish remained. Today, this Japanese delicacy is known as narezushi (なれ鮨).
Sometime in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), vinegar was added to narezushi in order to help the preservation as well as enhance the flavor. This addition drastically increased the length of time the fish could remain fresh. The vinegar worked so well that the fermentation part of the process was abandoned all together. Over time, a more recognizable version of sushi was developed in Osaka and eventually became what is known as ‘oshi-zushi’. Oshi-zushi, also known as ‘pressed sushi’, is assembled by combining and pressing the rice and fish onto a bamboo mold and creating a rectangular looking sushi that often shows off multiple layers.
In the next 30 years following the oncoming of oshi-zushi, namanare (生熟れ) was invented during the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1603). Namanare is a dish that is fermented for less time and includes partially raw fish wrapped in rice.
Getting Closer:
By the Edo period (1603-1868), we start to see the on-set of the sushi we all know and love today. Called Nigirizushi (にぎり寿司) , this sushi is created by laying fish over an oblong-shaped patch of pressed rice. This form came about from the need for a fast and delicious meal. Nigiri also became a big hit in the Edo period, and a lot restaurants were opened as a result. The Nigirizushi of the past was not quite the same as today’s version. Some notable differences include that the pieces were almost twice as big as what we are used to, and the fish was marinated in either vinegar, soy sauce, or heavily salted. The second difference was partially due to absence of refrigeration at the time.
Today’s Sushi:
The most common sushi seen in the west, Makizushi(巻き寿司 ) a.k.a. the sushi roll, wasn’t developed until after 1750. This is because one of the main ingredients to the sushi roll is nori (海苔). Nori, more commonly known as the seaweed wrap, wasn’t invented until 1750. After it was developed, the Makizushi style quickly followed after.
1750 was a long time ago, so of course there have been a few alterations to these fundamental sushi styles. Some notable variations include gunkanmaki (軍艦巻) which is a type of nigiri. This nigiri is wrapped in a strip of nori and filled with loose ingredients like roe, natto (fermented soybeans), quail eggs or sea urchin. It wasn’t until the 1980s that salmon was introduced as an ingredient, when a Norwegian business man was tasked with finding a new market for the salmon industry. The history of sushi is a long and rich story that continues to evolve and change with the addition of new styles and ingredients. It will be exciting to see how the story continues in the future.
