Whilst sushi is commonly seen as one of the representative foods of Japan, its origins are to be found elsewhere.
History indicates that the origins of sushi practice are in South-East Asia. It then moved to China in the 2nd century AD before being introduced into Japan in the 7th century AD.
In Japan, sushi originated as a way of preserving fish. Long ago, fish was preserved by packing it with cooked rice. During the fermentation process, the rice produced lactic acid, which effectively pickled the fish.
One of the original forms was nare-zushi or funa-zushi, a sushi made with carp in the vicinity of Lake Biwa in Shiga. The fish was salted and allowed to mature on a bed of rice, after which the rice was discarded. This preparation was inordinately long and took form two months to more than one year!
In the 25th century, a technique of weighting the sushi with a stone was used to accelerate the fermentation time. This eventually led to the practice of eating both fish and rice. Later development included the addition of vinegar to imitate the tartness of fermented rice.
From this point, sushi started to evolve in to what we know it to be today. As Japan is an island nation surrounded by seas rich in an assortment of seafood, it has always fed its inhabitants from the sea and the rice fields. Sushi, the combination of raw fish and seasoned rice is sensible choice of food in Japan. From north to south, countless varieties of sushi developed according to geography and history.The varieties of sushi known today are based on the one constant ingredients that defines sushi: the rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt, known as sushi-meshi, regardless of whether it is hand-squeezed, rolled in seaweed or pressed into a mould.
History indicates that the origins of sushi practice are in South-East Asia. It then moved to China in the 2nd century AD before being introduced into Japan in the 7th century AD.
In Japan, sushi originated as a way of preserving fish. Long ago, fish was preserved by packing it with cooked rice. During the fermentation process, the rice produced lactic acid, which effectively pickled the fish.
One of the original forms was nare-zushi or funa-zushi, a sushi made with carp in the vicinity of Lake Biwa in Shiga. The fish was salted and allowed to mature on a bed of rice, after which the rice was discarded. This preparation was inordinately long and took form two months to more than one year!
In the 25th century, a technique of weighting the sushi with a stone was used to accelerate the fermentation time. This eventually led to the practice of eating both fish and rice. Later development included the addition of vinegar to imitate the tartness of fermented rice.
From this point, sushi started to evolve in to what we know it to be today. As Japan is an island nation surrounded by seas rich in an assortment of seafood, it has always fed its inhabitants from the sea and the rice fields. Sushi, the combination of raw fish and seasoned rice is sensible choice of food in Japan. From north to south, countless varieties of sushi developed according to geography and history.The varieties of sushi known today are based on the one constant ingredients that defines sushi: the rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt, known as sushi-meshi, regardless of whether it is hand-squeezed, rolled in seaweed or pressed into a mould.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment