Sushi

A history of preservation

The earliest ancestor of sushi was narezushi, a method of preserving fish by burying it in salted, fermented rice for months. The rice was discarded; only the fish was eaten. Over centuries, fermentation times shortened, the rice became palatable, and finally — in early 19th-century Edo (modern Tokyo) — Hanaya Yohei is credited with serving fresh fish on small finger-pressed mounds of vinegared rice. The fast-food street snack was the direct ancestor of today’s nigiri.

Forms

• Nigiri — a hand-pressed oval of rice topped with fish.
• Maki — rice and fillings rolled in a sheet of nori. Includes thinner hosomaki and inside-out uramaki.
• Temaki — a hand-rolled cone of nori filled with rice and toppings.
• Chirashi — “scattered” sushi: a bowl of rice topped with assorted sashimi.
• Inari — sweet fried tofu pouches stuffed with rice.

The rice is the star

A sushi chef trains for years on rice before being allowed to handle fish. Properly seasoned shari — short-grain rice cooled and gently folded with sweetened rice vinegar — gives the dish its acidity, gloss, and grain integrity.