Traditional Japanese food evolves into a trendy universal dish

Needless to say, sushi is the most significant dish that represents Japanese cuisine. Its popularity has spread so widely that the word sushi is recognized anywhere in the world today. Using untraditional ingredients such as avocado, cheese, or fried shrimp, international versions of sushi continue to evolve in a unique way to reflect local characteristics. Sushi has become a universal food that can be commonly enjoyed at sushi bars and restaurants outside Japan.

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From traditional sushi restaurant to convenience store lunchbox

Many foreign tourists come to Japan with an expectation of trying an authentic sushi. Sushi is available in various styles and price ranges. At traditional sushi restaurants, sushi chefs directly take orders from customers at the bar and prepare food in front of them. Kaitenzushi is a more casual and reasonable version of the sushi restaurant where prepared sushi pieces are placed on small plates and are delivered on a conveyer belt through tables. Some sushi shops only sell packaged sushi to take home for reasonable prices.

History of sushi

Is sushi a preservative food?

In Southeast Asia during the fourth century B.C., fish was fermented in a mixture of rice and salt for preservation purpose. It is believed that rice used for the mixture was not eaten and was discarded after use. This preservation method for fish was eventually introduced to Japan and became a dish called narezushi during the Heian period. Sometime during the Muromachi period, however, people began to save and eat rice of the mixture along with the fermented fish. During the Edo period, a quicker method was invented and was called hayazushi, which used vinegar instead of fermentation to make rice taste sour.

Birth of Edomae-zushi

Nigirizushi (hand-shaped sushi) was first created in Edo during the late Edo period (early 19th century). Therefore, many Japanese people today think that Edomae-zushi refers to nigiri-style sushi invented in Edo, in comparison to Osaka-zushi, which refers to hakozushi (or oshizushi, box-pressed sushi). However, there was another meaning for its name that all seafood used for Edomae-zushi were freshly caught in the ocean in front (mae) of Edo.