Just Sushi

What is sushi?

Sushi is vinegared rice served with an array of toppings or fillings. Raw fish is an example of a typical topping or filling but it’s a common misconception that the term ‘sushi’ refers directly to the raw fish itself.

Where did it come from?

Sushi dates back two millennia, although the type of sushi we’ve become accustomed to bears little resemblance to sushi’s earliest form.

It was originally used for practical purposes. Helping to keep fish fresh for about a year, the fermented rice would be placed all around the fish to preserve it. This was the first documented combination of fermented rice and fish, however, it wasn’t eaten together, the rice was thrown away and only the fish eaten.

So how did it become the sushi we know today?

It was around 500 years ago, during the Muromachi period, when the idea of using vinegared rice to preserve the fish was introduced. Vinegared rice was found to add to the taste of the seafood and increase its lifespan, leading to a reduction and eventual abandonment of the fermentation process.

This was when vinegared rice and raw fish were enjoyed together for the first time (hayazushi), with the rice and seafood pressed together using traditionally bamboo molds.

This paved the way for numerous variations of ‘original sushi’ such as namanarezushi and oshizushi, but it wasn’t until the mid 1800s that the sushi we know today was invented.

Hanaya Yohei, a forward thinker from Tokyo (originally Edo), introduced the wrapped sushi that we’ve grown to love as a form of fast food to be enjoyed on the roadside or at the theatre. He used freshly caught raw fish from Tokyo Bay (Edo Mae as it was known) to create a hand held snack known as Edomaezushi or Edomae Nigirizushi (nigiri means to eat with your hands).

This is the most well known form of sushi today and although it may be easier than ever to create, a special thanks must go to Hanaya Yohei for his hard work in making sushi the multicultural hit that it is today!