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Sushi is a typical Japanese
food with over a thousand years of history
and tradition. It has become perhaps the
most visible example of
Japanese cuisine in other countries. |
Sushi actually began
as a way of preserving fish. The raw,
cleaned
fish was pressed between rice and salt
by a heavy stone for a few
weeks. After a few weeks, the stone was
removed and replaced with a
light cover. A few months after that,
the fermented fish and rice
were considered ready to eat. Not until
the 18th century did a chef
named Yohei decide to serve sushi in its
present form and forget about
the fermentation process altogether. The
use of vinegar rice, however,
probably harks back to the feremented
taste of early sushi. |
In Osaka there is still
an elaborate tradition of sushi pressed
with
rice in wooden boxes. This type of sushi
is called hako-zushi |
The sushi most commonly
known among Westerners comes from Edo,
the old
name for Tokyo, and consists of hand-rolled
sushi specifically called
nigiri sushi. |
Japanese have a deep-rooted
fondness of nature and this is often
carried over to the arrangement of food.
The pieces are arranged to
enhance their natural beauty. Often nature
and the outdoors are
captured by using a plate resembling a
fish in motion, a quiet river
nook, or a deep pool. The fish itself
evokes an image of the creature
swimming through underwater weeds and
roots. |
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There are many numerous
types of sushi. Here, we will try to help
you
sort through them all. |
| SASHIMI |
Sashimi is fresh, raw,
chilled, sliced, and elegantly arranged.
Ideally, sashimi is best when fresh, but
most fish freeze well and are
served after thawing. |
Sashimi may be garnished
with raw vegetables, leaves of knot grass,
parsley, lettuce, shredded daikon, and
sometimes seaweed or cucumber.
Sashimi is odorless and very delicate.
When sliced thick it is served
with soy sauce, when sliced thin served
with ponzu, a citrus flavored
sauce. Wasabi, red pepper, and green onions
may be served to mix with
sauces as well. |
The beauty of the sashimi
is that it lacks both the fishy smell
and
taste that would be its undoing. |
| MAKI SUSHI |
Maki sushi contains
strips of fish or vegetables rolled in
rice and
wrapped in crisp, thin sheets of dried
seaweed. There are many
combinations that even the most timid
can enjoy- smoked salmon, fresh
crab, or shrimp. The adventurous can sample
delicacies like octopus,
raw clams, sea urchin, or salted fish
roe. |
| Click here for some
examples of maki sushi |
| NIGIRI SUSHI |
Nigiri sushi is a slice
of fish (cooked or uncooked) pressed by
hand
onto a pad of rice. Fish roe is also served
as nigiri sushi in a style
called gunkan, meaning "boat".
Nigiri sushi contains a hint of
horseradish and is meant to be dipped
in soy sauce. They are always
served in pairs. |
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