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Sushi is a fairly new phenomenon in the United States. I have quite a few relatives who have never in their lives ventured to a sushi joint and enjoyed the wonderful experience of raw fish and rice. Though a big fan of it myself (as a person who even occasionally boils up seaweed for a snack), there’s a lot I still don’t know about the history and art of sushi. So let’s dive in, shall we?
• Edomae-sushi was first brought to the United States from Tokyo in the early 1960s. While looking for Japanese products to sell in the US, executives from Mutual Trading Company instead brought back an entire culinary experience, which they kicked off in Los Angeles. In the way America must make things its own, the California Roll was soon born. It was originally created to substitute for a maki roll made with toro (fatty tuna). Because the fish was seasonal, the thought was to create a roll that had the similar texture and flavor as toro when the fish was out of season.
• From Trevor Corson’s book The Zen of Fish, “Sushi began as a way of preserving old fish. Rice farmers in Southeast Asia would pack fish in jars with cooked rice to preserve it. The fermented result tasted more like stinky cheese than like fresh hamachi; the Japanese, in adopting the strategy, gradually shortened the fermentation time, developing a fresher style of sushi that still relied on fermented rice for its distinctive sour taste.”
• Still, Some hungry soul got tired of waiting for his sushi to ferment. What we now think of as sushi — Edo-mae nigiri — was invented as fast food for laborers, served by outdoor vendors from small carts. Soy sauce was offered, probably to mimic the fermented fish taste of the earlier style. (For more, read this.)
• Regarding that little bamboo leaf, “the bamboo leaf was a sign of freshness, conveying the message that sushi is perishable and should be eaten before the bamboo leaf dries out.” I don’t think that counts for the plastic ones included in the Publix containers, although, “the leaves prevented the flavors from contaminating each other and added a mild antibacterial function. The green pieces of decorative plastic that are still served with takeout sushi are a carryover from these early practices. Some brands of plastic are even coated with antibacterial chemicals.” (From The Zen of Fish.)
• Making sushi is no easy feat—traditional sushi chefs undergo years of training. However, there are other options with the California Sushi Academy, including an intensive 12-week sushi chef course, which consists of 250 in-class hours plus 100 internship hours.
• Still, there is a great disparity among sushi chefs. According to this incredible podcast from NPR, “Most of Japan’s more than 30,000 sushi restaurants still refuse to hire women, and many men refuse to eat sushi that a woman has prepared. Men often believe that women have a higher body temperature and other physiological differences that make them unsuitable to prepare something as delicate as sushi.”
• On a different note, for $300/hr you can hire a model to act as a human sushi plate. There’s something vaguely cannibalistic about this, but I would have still considered it as a side job while I was in college.
• If you’re like me, this post has made you crave some serious sushi. Here are some great tips and etiquette regarding sushi, and how to brave that intimidating sushi bar (I admit I am one who often lacks courage and simply sits at a table.) Also, a look at the menus of 50 major sushi places around the U.S., and where they get their fish. Plus, hints on how to spot good sushi versus the bad.
OK fellow Flossers, I would love to know of any suggestions about making your own sushi, the best places to learn, or even any sushi stories you have to share (like the first time you tried wasabi … for me, I thought my brain had exploded). Although I’m keeping mum on any tales regarding me, copious amounts of sushi, and several rounds of sake bombs.
Hungry for more? Venture into the Dietribes archive.
‘Dietribes’ appears every Wednesday. Food photos taken by Johanna Beyenbach. You might remember that name from our post about her colorful diet.
Comments (16)
Comment
This actually came up the other night, in the wake of my first sushi experience. What is a single unit of sushi called? Would you say “I ate two pieces of sushi”? Or “I ate two sushis”? Please advise.
posted by kate on 5-7-2008 at 3:55 pm
Now we hit one of my three favorite foods (the other two, Boston or New Haven Pizza, and Lobster). Such a great Dietribe, but it made me hungry.
And if your alone, always sit at the bar, it’s the best place in the entire restaurant, just being able to watch them prepare the food is fun. There is so much skill involved.
posted by Kinglink on 5-7-2008 at 4:27 pm
Actually one other note. At least one of your links go to WSJ’s site and require a subscription (which technically has a free period, but still is a pay site in my book). The one I found was the 50 major sushi places list.
posted by Kinglink on 5-7-2008 at 4:30 pm
Sushi is not raw fish. Specifically, sushi refers to the vinegared rice (which may have a topping of raw fish on it).
Omusubi is “sushi” made with non-vinegared rice, but since the rice doesn’t have added vinegar, it is not technically sushi.
For those of you who may happen to live in Atlanta, MF Sushi is probably the best sushi restaurant in the city (they offer fresh grated wasabi!). However, it still pales in comparison to what you can find in NYC or virtually anywhere on the West Coast.
posted by Florida on 5-7-2008 at 4:32 pm
I love sushi and i love making food. So after an unsuccessful attempt to find a bamboo sushi roller, i stumbled across Sushi Magic (www.sushimagic.com). It seemed like one of those typical infomercial type products (magic bullet, miricle blade, etc) but i figured that i would give it a shot. it cost around $30 and came with two different types of sushi makers (a roller and a nori maker), and i must admit, it works pretty damn good. As a matter of fact, i think i’m going to make some sushi tonight. So if you want to make your own, think about checking out Sushi Magic
*I am in no way affiliated with Sushi Magic…Boo Yea
posted by Andy on 5-7-2008 at 4:41 pm
Correction…it comes with a sushi roller and a NIGIRI maker (i believe nori is the seaweed)
My bad
posted by Andy on 5-7-2008 at 4:43 pm
Kate, when you eat fish over rice, I would probably say “one piece of salmon sushi” or “two pieces of eel sushi,” etc. If you eat a roll (which amounts to more than one piece… usually 6 to 8 pieces), you would just say “I ate a tuna roll.”
My favorite is unagi (eel). mmm.
posted by Johanna on 5-7-2008 at 4:44 pm
While I still try it every time I have the chance, I just can’t take the vinegared rice. I want to try Sashimi.
Wasabi is no big deal to me though, I can eat it by itself. I’ve had spicy foods since I was in the womb.
posted by Reese on 5-7-2008 at 6:22 pm
I love sushi! Unfortunately I have to do quite a bit a traveling to get decent sushi ( I live in South Arkansas). The first time my boyfriend and I made sushi, it took us 3 hrs and we had snacked on so much rice we were quite full by the time we were finished. We tried 2 rice recipes from foodnetwork and Emeril’s recipe was far superior.
posted by Keri on 5-7-2008 at 7:21 pm
Back in the early 80’s my husband and I used to go to a Sushi restaurant on West 8th Street in Greenwich Village called Kiana-hori. We made friends with the sushi chef, Taki. We would sit at the bar and let Taki serve us all kinds of creations. That is the best way to eat sushi.
One night Taki asks us if we like Lobster. We tell him “Of course”. He takes out a live lobster, hacks it down the middle and cuts open the claws, pulls out the tail and claw meat and serves it very nicely decorated on a fancy plate. The he says, “Lobster Sushi, very fresh”. We passed on it. He then took it back, cooked it and served it to us in a salad. To this day I’m not sure if he was serious about us eating it.
posted by Sue on 5-7-2008 at 8:12 pm
I’ve been eating sushi since before it was trendy because both of my parents lived in Japan at one point or another when they were growing up.
I’m sorry to say that I’m not a fan of sushi. At least I can say that I’ve tried it and don’t like it, unlike some people I know.
posted by Melodye on 5-8-2008 at 1:08 am
I live in Japan and I adore sushi (eat it almost every day), and I am grateful for the props you give this wondferful food!
posted by Heather on 5-8-2008 at 5:20 am
My first time trying sushi was in, of all places, New Mexico. And oddly enough, the experience of eating raw fish in a decidedly hot, dry, and land-locked state didn’t turn me off of it. I still enjoy it. There’s a great place not too far from here that I went to the other day (here being decidedly East Coast and Ocean Accessible).
The only thing which I found to be unpleasant from my first experience is a plum roll, which for some reason I had the idea was supposed to have been sweet and was not so. I might try it again, I might not, but I’ve decided anything with roe on it is great. (I love the popping texture. mmm…)
posted by ACute Angle on 5-8-2008 at 2:43 pm
I have to ask…. was the picture at the top taken at Bluefin? I ate there a couple of weeks ago, and it looks very familiar.
posted by Gordon on 5-8-2008 at 4:16 pm
most of the fish used in america’s sushi is supplied by a company owned by sun myung moon’s church. check the link for details.
posted by jesse on 5-8-2008 at 4:35 pm
Aaah, we finally get to one of my favorite dishes! Nigiri sushi is by far one of my favorite things to eat. It’s such a different flavor and texture from what we normally have here in the states.
My dream vacation is to visit Japan and go to the Tsukiji market to check out the fish and to eat some of the freshest sashimi. I envy you Heather!
posted by heather1 on 5-8-2008 at 8:36 pm