History of Sushi

Executive Summary:

This report will cover about the sushi history, the practices in the past and also in the modern world as well as the ingredients and types of sushi. First of all, I will explain briefly about Japan and its culture, later on I will move on to sushi. Sushi has several types in general which are Sashimi, Nigiri Sushi, Hosomaki, Futomaki, Uromaki, Temaki, and Chirasy. Each type has a special composition and taste. There are various ingredients in Sushi as well but most of the ingredients is come from sea such as fish, shrimp, crab etc. Sushi is an art because it combines cuisine and appealing design together. The first idea of sushi were originated from China but was developed rapidly in Japan. In addition I think sushi is a great culture that need to be preserved.

Introduction

Nowadays, sushi has considered as a very common food in the world. We can see sushi restaurant or sushi package sold in almost every part of the world. In United States for example the numbers of sushi bars increased year by year. Sushi is fancied by many people because sushi provides unique design with amazing taste. The combination of fish and vegetables has made sushi as a healthiest meal around. In this report, the history of sushi will be trace back as well as the practice and cultural event involved and also the country of origin of sushi.

Most of people will assume that sushi is come and made from Japan from the first time. But in fact Sushi came from China at the age of 4th century BC. Later on, around 8th century in the Heian period, it was introduced to Japan and gain popularity there. The concept of sushi is actually derived from by the aid of starchy rice, to preserve those of protein-rich foods, fresh water fish and flesh meat, which were not always obtainable through the dry and rainy seasons. This kind of preservation method could not be existed without the development of rice cultivation.

Sushi has developed rapidly in Japan since then and modified into many types of sushi. Japan can be said as a leader nation in Asia, because Japan have the highest standard of living among Asia, stable economy and advanced technology that be able to compete with European and American countries. Japan itself has known as a nation that sticks heavily on its culture and having many cultural events and practices such as sumo, kimono, geisha, ikebana, tea ceremony, sushi and so forth. Japan culture is a contemporary hybrid culture which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. Japan also very distinctive for their fashion and style, for example Harajuku style that very famous nowadays especially for teenager consumption.

The Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. Japanese language has a similarity to Chinesse language. Japanese is written with a combination of three scripts, they are Hiragana which derived from the Chinesse cursive script, Katakana which was derived as shorthand from Japanese character, and lastly Kanji also imported from China. There is also Romanji also which used in modern Japanese conversation, and Hindu-Arabic numerals that are generally used by numbers. Japan also famous for their visual art such as panting, calligraphy, sculpture, ukiyo-e, and ikebana (flower arrangement). Another culture from Japan is their performing arts, include their architecture, clothing (kimono), cuisine(which include our main topic in this report, sushi) and sports. But Chinesse culture have a crucial influence in Japanese culture.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi)

Sushi category and ingredients

According to wikipedia, sushi is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients, including fish, various meats, and vegetables. Outside of Japan, sushi is sometimes misunderstood to mean the raw fish itself, or even any fresh raw-seafood dishes. In the sushi restaurant actually there will be only a small handful will be actually raw. Most sushi has been prepared for some fashion, even though it may look raw but in fact it already undergone some processes and not completely �fresh’ like many people think. (http://sushinow.com/whatissushi.htm ).

Sushi is an art and has a broad category that includes:

1. Sashimi

The word sashimi means �pierced body’ , derive from the culinary practice of sticking the fish's tail and fin to the slices in identifying the fish being eaten. Sashimi consisting of very fresh raw seafood which sliced into thin pieces, but dimensions varies depending on the type of the item and chef. Sashimi often is the first course in normal Japanese meal, , but can also be the main course, presented with rice and Miso soup in separate bowls. Many Japanese people believe that sashimi is considered as the finest cuisine in Japanese cuisine and represent Japanese culture subsequently.

There are many varieties of ingredients for sashimi such as salmon, shrimp, tuna, yellowtail, etc. Most of the ingredients used to make sashimi are served raw.

2. Nigiri Sushi

Nigiri sushi is one of the classic Sushi styles. The basic for this sushi is the sushi rice that is formed by hand into small oval rice balls. Then this rice ball is topped with some thin sliced fish. (salmon, tuna or prawn)and often served in pairs.(http://www.sushismile.com/english/NigiriSushi/nigirisushi.htm)

3. Hosomaki

mall cylindrical piece, with the nori on the outside. A typical hosomaki has a diameter of about two centimeters (0.75 in). They generally contain only one filling, often tuna, cucumber, thinly sliced carrots, or, more recently, avocado. There are many types of hosomaki such as kappamaki, tekkamaki, taunamayomaki and so on.

4. Futomaki

A small cylindrical pieces , with nori on the inside. A typical futomaki is three or four centimeters (1.5 in) diameter. They are often made with two or three fillings that are chosen for their complementary tastes and colors. During the Setsubun festival(the festival to celebrate the day before the beginning of each season), it is traditional in Kansai to eat uncut futomaki in its cylindrical form.

5. Uromaki

A medium-sized cylindrical piece, with two or more fillings. Uramaki differs from other maki because the rice is on the outside and the nori inside. The filling is in the center surrounded by nori, then a layer of rice, and an outer coating of some other ingredients such as roe or toasted sesame seeds. It can be made with different fillings such as tuna, crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise, cucumber, carrots. It can be made with