History of Sushi
For most people, the word ‘sushi’ simply means raw fish. In fact, raw fish dishes are called ‘sashimi’. Sushi basically is any dish that is made with vinegar rice, regardless of raw fish or lack of it. Sushi will typically consist of many different types of shellfish such as lobster or crab, or cooked fish as well as other fresh ingredients tightly wrapped inside the vinegar rice.
Today you will find sushi served mostly in Japanese restaurants, but it in fact dates back to as early as seventh century China. In an attempt to preserve fish, the Chinese started to make sushi but with the absence of modern day refrigerators. Instead, they used the process of natural fermentation. In order to complete the process, you only needed rice and salt. The final result was of course delicious fish, leading to sushi’s popularity.
Later in the late 1820s, sushi was made in a process which involved pressing fish in layers of salt and then leaving it to ferment for months. Such a process is known as edomazushi or narezushi, which is still used in certain restaurants throughout Japan. At first it was called Edome and then shortened to Edo. The name means ‘in front of’ in English, a reference to fish caught in Edo city and then used for the sushi making.
Unlike today’s sushi, Edo was formed in a rice ball with a small slice of the fish. When it came to eating narezushi, the rice ball was removed and only the fish was eaten. At present, narezushi is extremely difficult to get hold of outside Japan as it’s got a unique taste, usually unappreciated by Westerners.
Over the years, certain Chinese and Japanese cultures crossed and sushi became popular in both countries. Everywhere you went, you would most likely find food stands selling various types of sushi. In fact, at hundreds of thetres, sushi was even sold as a mere snack, pretty much like the popcorn sold in modern day cinemas. As sushi was easy and very quick to make, it in no time became a staple for millions of households in the nineteenth century to accommodate the busy Japanese lifestyles.
In the end, a major food shortage in Japan revolutionised the way sushi was made. Instead of throwing the rice ball out, it was now eaten with the fish. In addition, the process of fermentation was shortened so that the fish was a bit on the raw side. As a result of shortened fermentation process, the sushi had a somewhat sour taste and people absolutely loved it.
As sushi eaters started experimenting, they gradually discovered that by adding a bit of vinegar to the rice, the very same sour taste was achieved and better yet, the period of fermentation was drastically reduced to only one or two days.