Sushi , Exploring the Origins and Cultural Significance of Sushi & Revolving Sushi restaurant

Currently Sushi which is one of “Washoku” (Japanese food) is gaining worldwide popularity as a healthy food of low fat and low calorie in particular.

Hello　Today’s topic is “Sushi” which is the most representative “Cool Japan” food we’d like to share with you

What’s sushi ?

It is traditionally made with medium-grain white rice, though it can be prepared with brown rice or short-grain rice. It is very often prepared with seafood, such as squid, eel, yellowtail, salmon, tuna or imitation crab meat.

Many types of it are vegetarian. It is often served with pickled ginger (gari), wasabi, and soy sauce. Daikon radish or pickled daikon (takuan) are popular garnishes for the dish.

It is sometimes confused with “Sashimi“, a related dish in Japanese cuisine that consists of thinly sliced raw fish, or occasionally meat, and an optional serving of rice.

For people in Japan, rice and fish are two of the primary pillars of the diet. Served as sushi, they have long been a favourite delicacy.

Biting into the rice and its seafood topping, the flavours and textures blend and melt together to produce a delectable depth of flavour.

This type is called nigiri-zushi. Each portion consisits of a bite-sized serving of vinegared rice and a topping.

Regarding the type, I’ll explain it in details later.

In the this world, the toppings are called neta. Usually, the neta is some kind of seafood.

Many kinds of fish are served, both red and white, shrimp and squid, all kinds of shelfish. There are a tremendous variety of toppings.

What history Sushi has been?

It originates in a Southeast Asian dish, known today as “narezushi“(salted fish), stored in fermented rice for possibly months at a time. The lacto-fermentation of the rice prevented the fish from spoiling; the rice would be discarded before consumption of the fish. Narezushi still exists as a regional specialty, notably as “funa-zushi” from Shiga Prefecture.

This early type of it became an important source of protein for its Japanese consumers. The term sushi comes from an antiquated grammatical form no longer used in other contexts, and literally means “sour-tasting”; the overall dish has a sour and “umami“(savoury taste/deliciousness).

It was not until the Edo period (1603–1868) that fresh fish was served over vinegared rice and nori (which is an edible seaweed with thin flat fronds of a reddish-purple and green colour that becomes black when dry).

The particular style of today’s nigirizushi became popular in Edo (contemporary Tokyo) in the 1820s or 1830s.

One common story of nigirizushi‘s origins is of the chef Hanaya Yohei (1799–1858), who invented or perfected the technique in 1824 at his shop in Ryōgoku.

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.

How is it prepared?

In the jargon of the sushi shop, the rice base for it is known as the shari. The chef blends vinegar into steaming-hot, freshly cooked rice, using a paddle. It takes skill to mix the vinegar into the rice without crushing the individual grains.

Next the rice must be fanned to blow away the excess moisture as it cools down. The sugars in the vinegar form a coating around each grain of rice. This stops them from becoming sticky and seals in the flavour.

This is the technique for preparing it, while the neta is held in the left hand, the shari rice is formed with the right hand. A dab of wasabi (horseradish) is smeared on the the underside of the neta. In a matter of seconds, the sushi is ready.

In ancient times, it was a means of preserving food through a fermentation process. Originally, only the fish was eaten. The rice was just for packing around it.

It was in the early years of the 19th century that sushi developed into the form that we recognize today.

By this time, people in the city were startting to enjoy greater affluence, and there was growing demand for greater variety in their diet.

New kinds of food were developed to march the informal style of eating at food stalls. This was how nigiri-zushi came into being.

Over time, what began as a method for preserving fish developed into Japan’s most famous food that today is eaten around the world.

What’s “Kaiten-sushi” (Revolving Sushi restaurant)?

Kaiten-zushi, literally “rotation sushi”, “conveyor belt sushi or “sushi-go-round” is a form of sushi restaurant common in Japan. It is also known as “sushi train”.

Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt or moat that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table, counter and seat.

Customers may place special orders, but most simply pick their selections from a steady stream of fresh sushi moving along the conveyor belt.

The final bill is based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi. Some restaurants use a fancier presentation such as miniature wooden “sushi boats” traveling small canals or miniature locomotive cars.

The most remarkable feature of conveyor belt sushi is the stream of plates winding through the restaurant. The selection is usually not limited to sushi; it may also include drinks, fruits, desserts, soups, and other foods.

So please enjoy a couple from the Czech Republic and Mexico at Revolving sushi restaurant.