05/09/2022
Sushi story. From Asia to us
Rice together with seafood and seaweed has few calories, although it is a very necessary dish considering the content of vitamins and other necessary substances. It is about iodine, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, which this food is rich in... Because of its flora and fauna, Asians are a healthy and long-lived nation.
By the way, you can order sushi with free delivery in Lviv at the Moyogi sushi bar.
Since a big part of Asian culture in general is rice and seafood, we'll talk about how these things came into their lives and ours and how they affect us now. We will tell you about the history of sushi in Asia and Japan, including.
Rice is like a god
FOR MANY COUNTRIES IN ASIA, RICE AND SEAFOOD ARE PRACTICALLY THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE AREA BECAUSE OF THEIR DISTRIBUTION. THIS PART OF THE MAINLAND IS STILL FAMOUS FOR THE SIMPLICITY AND ELEGANCE OF FOOD.
According to Japanese beliefs, there is even a deity called Inari-sama (one type of sushi is named after him). It is believed that it was this god who brought rice grains to the Land of the Morning Sun, hiding them in bamboo sticks so that no one would know about it.
In ancient times, the very culture of rice cultivation in Japan was taken very seriously - this is confirmed by a large number of legends about the disappearance of grain and the death of people after that. Almost everything depended on the cultivation of this crop - a person's wealth, level of well-being, health. For a long time, rice was a kind of currency, and its presence was considered a sign of wealth.
Another component of the diet of Asians is seafood. Since fish and various supplements were popular separately, it is not surprising that the combination of these ingredients in the form of sushi became a real find for residents of eastern countries.
Inadmissible wastage
There are two interpretations of historical events regarding the development of land. The first version tells us that the Japanese themselves began to use rice and seafood together in the 6th century AD. According to the second option, in general, the culture of using rice to preserve fish came from South Asia and it happened a century earlier.
At first, rice was used as a culture during pickling of fish. The fish was cut into pieces, salted and laid out in layers in a barrel - mixed with boiled rice. The products could be left for several months, putting them under a press - to allow the fermentation process to take place. However, after that, the fish could be stored for almost the same period and it did not spoil. Asians liked the taste of this dish. At the same time, sticky, molded rice was thrown away.
It was only after this pickling method was tested in Southeast Asia that it began to migrate. First in China, and then this method of marinating fish and seafood was adopted in Japan. Interestingly, the Chinese character for "sushi" translates as "pickled fish" - this is one of the ancient meanings associated with its use.
Even by modern standards, wasting so much rice for Asians, including Japanese, Chinese, is an unacceptable waste, so the evolution in terms of the culture of sushi preparation could not stand still.
Simplification of cooking processes
In the 16th century, they stopped throwing away used rice, realizing that it is also a dish. Instead, after some time, the first variations of sushi appeared. It was the same rice with vegetables and fish, but with malt that had a sour taste. With the use of the latter, the cooking time was dramatically reduced - there was no need to wait for the fish to marinate.
In the 17th century, the now popular rice vinegar was invented, which completely replaced the fermentation process. Even now, the former method of fermentation is considered unreasonably expensive, although it is used in some places in China.
The first versions of sushi, already similar to modern ones, were made only in the 19th century. A cook in the city of Edo (now Tokyo) pounded together a handful of rice, added wasabi, covered it with a piece of fish, and tied it with a strip of nori. The first sushi was called Nigiri (from the Japanese word translated as "handful", "handful"). That is how much rice is usually taken to prepare one sushi.
In the 70s in America, there was a kind of "boom" for Asian food, and sushi was not the last place on this list. At that time, there were already kits for making sushi at home. In addition, in order to satisfy the demand for the product, manufacturers tried to mechanize the process - they created sushi machines. However, the latter were not widely popular. In Japan, the process of making sushi is taken very seriously and an untrained cook is not allowed in the kitchen.
Now any Japanese will definitely name you more types of sushi than you know. And anyway, the following landmasses are a common classification of species:
Maki (so-called rolls)
Temaki (cone-shaped sushi)
Nigiri (the simplest sushi)
Gunkan (oval-shaped sushi wrapped in nori).
If you decide to try real sushi and not the "Western" equivalent, you should go to Japan or to restaurants where the owner is Asian and the sushi chef is Japanese. However, even then, note that sushi filling is a seasonal product. In different seasons, products are worth differently.
Find an interesting taste for yourself and go to get to know the flavors of Asian and Japanese cuisines!
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