S U S H I
HISTORY AND ORIGINS
A dish known as narezushi (馴れ寿司, 熟寿司 – "salted fish"), stored in fermented rice for possibly months at a time, has been cited as one of the early influences for the Japanese practice of applying rice on raw fish. The fish was fermented with rice vinegar, salt, and rice, after which the rice was discarded. The process can also be traced back to the early domestication of rice in the neolithic cultures of China. When wet-field rice cultivation was introduced during the Yayoi period, lakes and rivers would flood during the rainy season and fish would get caught in the rice paddy fields. Pickling was a way to preserve the excess fish and guarantee food for the next months, and Narezushi became an important source of protein for Japanese consumers. The term sushi literally means "sour-tasting”; the overall dish has a sour and umami or savoury taste. Narezushi still exists as a regional specialty, notably as funa-zushi from Shiga Prefecture. Vinegar began to be added to the preparation of narezushi in the Muromachi period (1336–1573) for the sake of enhancing both taste and preservation. The primitive sushi would be further developed in Osaka, where over several centuries it became oshi-zushi or "hako-zushi"; in this preparation, the seafood and rice were pressed into shape with wooden (typically bamboo) molds.
It was not until the Edo period (1603–1868) that fresh fish was served over vinegared rice and nori. The particular style of today's nigirizushi became popular in Edo (contemporary Tokyo) in the 1820s or 1830s. The dish was originally termed Edomae zushi as it used freshly caught fish from the Edo-mae (Edo or Tokyo Bay); the term Edomae nigirizushi is still used today as a by-word for quality sushi, regardless of its ingredients' origins.
TYPES
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CHIRASHIZUSHI
Chirashizushi (ちらし寿司, "scattered sushi", also referred to as barazushi) serves the rice in a bowl and tops it with a variety of raw fish and vegetable garnishes. It is commonly eaten because it is filling, fast and easy to make. It is eaten annually on Hinamatsuri in March and Kodomonohi in May. -
NARIZUSHI
Inarizushi (稲荷寿司) is a pouch of fried tofu typically filled with sushi rice alone. Regional variations include pouches made of a thin omelette (帛紗寿司, fukusa-zushi, or 茶巾寿司, chakin-zushi) instead of tofu. Cone sushi is a variant of inarizushi originating in Hawaii that is wrapped in a triangular abura-age piece. It is often sold in okazu-ya (Japanese delis) and bento boxes. -
MAKIZUSHI
Makizushi (巻き寿司, "rolled sushi"), norimaki (海苔巻き, "nori roll", used generically for other dishes as well) or makimono (巻物, "variety of rolls") is a cylindrical piece formed with the help of a bamboo mat known as a makisu (巻き簾). Makizushi is generally wrapped in nori (seaweed), but is occasionally wrapped in a thin omelette, soy paper, cucumber, or shiso (perilla) leaves. Makizushi is usually cut into six or eight pieces, which constitutes a single roll order. Some common types of makizushi: Futomaki, Tamago makizushi, Tempura Makizushi, Agezushi, Ehōmaki, Hosomaki, Tekkamaki, Temaki, Negitoromaki
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MODERN NAREZUSHI
Narezushi (熟れ寿司, "matured sushi") is a traditional form of fermented sushi. After six months of salted fermentation, this sushi can remain edible for another six months or more. The most famous narezushi are the ones offered at Shiga Prefecture, particularly the funa-zushi made from fish of the crucian carp genus, a locally differentiated variety of wild goldfish endemic to Lake Biwa. -
OSHIZUSHI
Oshizushi (押し寿司, "pressed sushi"), also known as hako-zushi (箱寿司, "box sushi"), is a pressed sushi from the Kansai region, a favorite and specialty of Osaka. A block-shaped piece is formed using a wooden mold, called an oshibako. Particularly famous is battera (pressed mackerel sushi) or 鯖寿司 (saba zushi). In oshizushi, all the ingredients are either cooked or cured.
WESTERNIZED SUSHI
The increasing popularity of sushi around the world has resulted in variations typically found in the Western world, but rarely in Japan. A notable exception to this is the use of salmon. Historically, the Japanese caught salmon that often contains parasites and must be cooked or cured for its lean meat to be edible. On the other side of the world, in the 1960s and 1970s, Norwegian entrepreneurs figured out how to raise salmon in net pens in the sea. Being farm raised, the Atlantic salmon had no parasites, making them edible. With government subsidies and improved techniques, they were so successful in raising fatty and parasite-free salmon, they ended up with a surplus. In the early to mid 70s, salmon has been consumed in North America under the form of sushi. Creations to suit the Western palate were initially fueled by the invention of the California roll. A wide variety of popular rolls (norimaki and uramaki) has evolved since.
Futomaki is a more popular variation of sushi within the United States, and comes in variations that take their names from their places of origin. Other rolls may include a variety of ingredients, including chopped scallops, spicy tuna, beef or chicken teriyaki roll, okra, and assorted vegetables such as cucumber and avocado, and the tempura roll, where shrimp tempura is inside the roll or the entire roll is battered and fried tempura-style. In the Southern United States, many sushi restaurants prepare rolls using crawfish. Sometimes, rolls are made with brown rice or black rice, known as forbidden rice, which appear in Japanese cuisine as well.
Uramaki (裏巻, "inside-out roll") is a medium-sized cylindrical piece with two or more fillings, and was developed as a result of the creation of the California roll, as a method originally meant to hide the nori. Uramaki differs from other makimono because the rice is on the outside and the nori inside. It can be made with different fillings, such as tuna, crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise, or cucumber.
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