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Sushi

sushi

Beginning as a method of pickling fish centuries ago, sushi has evolved into an artful, unique dining experience. In its earliest form, fish was placed between two wads of rice, producing a moderately complex chemical reaction as the fish fermented helping preserve it. Sometime between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries rice vinegar started to be added to the rice to help speed up the process which took several months. Around this time the rice also started to be consumed with the fish it was used to preserve. The nori (red algae seaweed paper) was also added about this period as a way to keep one's fingers from getting sticky. Thus creating the first ancestor of modern 'makizushi', or rolled sushi.

Sometime in the mid to late eighteenth century a resturant in Edo (modern Tokyo) started serving sushi rice alone with thinly sliced fresh fish pressed into it. This was the start of Edo-Mae sushi, which is also known as 'nigirizushi', or pressed sushi. Sometime after this some chef took this one step further and eliminated the sushi rice all together, the birth of sashimi. It is important to note that sashimi specifically refers to thinly sliced raw or mostly raw fish and shellfish. It is hard to tell when exactly the wasabi and pickled ginger were added, but it is probable they came in with the Edo-Mae sushi, as this was when the focus of sushi became enjoying the taste of the exceedingly fresh fish, and the condiments heighten the experience. These three types: makizushi, nigirizushi, and sashimi are the base on which the other forms of sushi are built.

Technically, the word "sushi" refers to the rice but, colloquially, the term is used to describe a finger-size piece of raw fish or shellfish on a bed of vinegared rice. This can be eaten as is, or is often dipped into shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) and then eaten. Much care is put into the creation of the dish and the many methods of preparing the food indicate the importance of appearance to the educated consumer.

Types of Sushi

Sushi types include makizushi, nigirizushi, oshizushi, and inarizushi.

• Makizushi (rolled sushi), or maki for short, is the kind that is most common to North American consumers (see California Rolls) as it is basically sushi layered on top of nori, rolled into a tube, and cut into thick slices. Easy to make and even easier to mass produce, it has found a wide proliferation as a new form of fast food, but still manages to be found in Japanese restaurants that still respect the tradition.

• Nigirizushi (hand formed sushi), or nigiri for short, is, as stated above, a hand-formed small bed of rice with an ingredient on top (ranging from tuna or salmon to eel or egg). Nigiri sushi that is served without the rice is called sashimi. Gunkanmaki (battleship roll or boat sushi) is a nigirizushi where an oval piece of sushi rice is surrounded by nori and topped with a topping such as fish eggs.

• Oshizushi (pressed sushi) is similar to nigirizushi but it is formed by pressing with the aid of an oshibako, a wooden mold. Generally, the topping is placed in the oshibako first, the rice is added on top, then the combination is pressed together with the oshibako top or lid. After pressing, the sushi is removed and cut to serving sizes.

• Inarizushi (stuffed sushi) is generally a pocket or pouch containing the rice and other ingredients. Materials used to make the pocket include tofu, egg, and cabbage leaves.

• Sashimi (basicly "sliced raw fish without any rice") is often the most artistic form, with thin slices of fish and shellfish being formed into a range of diffrent shapes, especially flowers. While technically not sushi, sashimi is often grouped together with the different types of sushi.

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikibooks article "Sushi".