There are few foods tastier than sushi. Okay, maybe that statement doesn’t apply to absolutely everyone. After all, sushi can be an acquired taste! And many simply can’t get down with eating raw fish, eel, sea urchin, and everything else that comes with it. But for those of us who enjoy pulling out the chopsticks and dining on the latest catch from the ocean, well, today’s list is sure to make your mouth water!
Sushi may seem simple enough: a little rice, a little fish, maybe a little spicy tuna, some cucumber, and some spicy mayo or eel sauce to top it off. But there is so much more to this delectable delicacy! Let’s take a look at ten fascinating and hunger-inducing facts you never knew about sushi. After reading this, you’ll be hungry for its fishy goodness and never look at it the same way again!
How Did Sushi Start?
The idea of sushi is somewhat strange. Humans cooked meat for ages before eating it. We quickly learned that eating raw meat wasn’t the best way to preserve our health, so we cooked it. But sushi has always been different.
Sushi didn’t start in Japan, it actually originated in Southeast Asia, somewhere between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC.
Farmers and fishermen needed a way to preserve fish for a long time. So, they took rice, wrapped the fish tightly, and packed it in. They gutted and salted the fish first, and the rice fermented it. This preserved the fish for months without spoiling.
The practice spread from Southeast Asia into China. Japanese fishermen learned the technique, too. Fishmongers in markets all over Japan began to experiment with it further, and voila! Sushi as we know it was born sometime in the 8th century AD.[1]
Fast Fish Food!
Sushi really took off in the early 19th century. In the 1820s, Tokyo was bustling. Food stall owners sold their fermented fish as a quick snack.
They called it “Edo-Mae sushi,” named after an old word for Tokyo. It was the closest thing to modern sushi. Regular people could own food stalls and stores, so they had money for commerce and trade, and the sushi stall industry boomed.
People in Edo (Tokyo) were busy and wanted fast food they could eat on the go. Tightly-wrapped sushi was perfect. It was like that era’s drive-thru.
People would buy a sushi roll and walk, eating it. Soon, Edo-Mae sushi spread outside of Japanese port cities. As Edo became Tokyo, the process kept evolving. Today’s sushi is inspired by those food stall vendors from two centuries ago![2]
Bow Down to Wasabi
Wasabi, that green paste, is very spicy. But it’s more than just heat. Historically, it was meant to be an antibacterial agent that would kill dangerous microbes in raw fish. Sushi chefs used it to ensure the raw fish didn’t go bad.
Today, wasabi is more of a garnish. In many restaurants, the “wasabi” is often a horseradish-like paste tinted green. Sorry!
Real wasabi has some positive traits. The compound “6-methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate” kills bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Scientists have also discovered that wasabi boosts brainpower and increases memory![3]
Beware of the Fatal Fugu
A certain type of sushi could kill you if it’s not prepared correctly. It’s called “fugu,” a deadly pufferfish that is a famous and dangerous delicacy in Japan. This fish contains a lethal toxin.
Tetrodotoxin causes rapid, violent pain. First comes numbness around the mouth. Then, the toxin spreads, leaving you paralyzed. Then, death. Just like that.
There is no known antidote for this poison. The toxin is 1,000 times more potent than cyanide. Yet fugu is still eaten in Japan. It is considered a delicacy because of its lethal toxin.
Chefs must be licensed to prepare the pufferfish and remove the toxin. It is typically found in all parts of the fish besides the flesh that is consumed. Would you risk your life for a few bites of sushi?[4]
Know Your Etiquette
Sushi isn’t meant to be eaten however you feel like. There are rules! Being careful about how you eat it is part of the fun!
Don’t mix wasabi into the soy sauce. Dab it directly onto the sushi. The pickled ginger, gari, is meant to be eaten in small bites in between sushi pieces to cleanse your palate.
Don’t dip the rice in the soy sauce. The rice will soak up too much and overpower the fish. Instead, dip the fish into the soy sauce.[5]
Quick! Stop That Sushi!
If you’ve had sushi, you’ve probably had conveyor belt sushi, known in Japan as “kaiten-zushi.” A conveyor belt runs endlessly across a dining room. Diners pick out the sushi they want, eat, and pay the bill.
Conveyor belt sushi began in a Tokyo restaurant in the 1950s. The owner, Yoshiaki Shiraishi, had trouble finding staff. His restaurant was very popular.
He came up with the conveyor belt idea to serve more customers in a quicker way. And from that came a conveyor belt culture that is still very common today![6]
California Rollin’
The California roll is one of the most common sushi rolls in the world, except in Japan! Instead, it is very often found in the United States, Canada, Europe, and other Western nations. The standard California roll is made with avocado, crab, and cucumber. Simple, tasty, and to the point. And its history is… confusing.
Some say the California roll was created in Vancouver, Canada, by a Japanese chef named Hidekazu Tojo. He couldn’t get his Western customers to eat raw fish, so he used local ingredients—Dungeness crab and avocado.
Others claim it was first made in California in the 1960s by a sushi chef named Ichiro Mashita in Los Angeles. He was searching for a way for his customers to eat more fish. At his restaurant, he made history by popularizing a roll that is now seen on sushi menus all over the place.[7]
That’s How We Roll
Sushi rolls are getting bigger. American-style rolls have tempura qualities, with fried shrimp, cooked fish, or baked scallops sitting atop a rice-rolled tube of raw fish. And every year, these rolls get bigger, longer, and more involved!
The longest sushi roll was created on November 20, 2016, in Tamana, Kumamoto, Japan. Nearly 400 people came together to create a record-breaking sushi roll.
According to Guinness World Records, the Tamana roll officially became the longest sushi roll ever made when it measured more than 9,332 feet (2,844 meters). The roll consisted of pickled daikon radish and sesame in addition to rice and sushi paper.
Five years before that, in 2011, a Russian group had the record. But now, after the 2016 Tamana achievement, Japan is once again home to the longest roll ever.[8]
That’s Some Costly Tuna
The most expensive sushi ingredient ever purchased occurred back in 2013 when the president of a Japanese sushi chain dropped $1.7 million on a 489-pound (222-kilogram) bluefin tuna fish.
Bluefin tuna is seen as a delicacy in Japan and is very difficult to come by. Tuna stocks have been crashing, so the cost of bluefin tuna has gone through the roof. In Japan, sushi eaters know it as the “black diamond” sushi ingredient.
Kimura, the sushi chain president, told reporters he planned to sell the fish at a huge loss and price the bluefin pieces at about $4.30 per portion in his restaurants.
“I wanted to meet the expectations of my customers who said they wanted to eat Japan’s best tuna again this year,” Kimura said. “With this good tuna, I hope to help cheer up Japan.”[9]
Chasing New Trends
Sushi has been reappropriated into all different kinds and styles of food. It’s still sushi in terms of the ingredients: rice, seaweed, raw fish, and spicy mayo. Peter Yen invented the sushi burrito in 2008 at Sushirrito in San Francisco.
Yen was looking for a way to get sushi in front of new customers. He noticed how popular burritos had become in the United States. Drawing inspiration from Mexican-American culture, he did the same with sushi!
The sushi burrito was an immediate hit. Since then, things like sushi burgers and even sushi donuts have been created. If a sushi chef can figure out a way to mash sushi into the shape of another food, they’re going to try it.
Since Americans endlessly crave sushi in any form, the new inventions will likely prove popular. No sense in not getting creative with how to get sushi to customers in new, unique, and memorable ways, right? We’ll gladly eat it up no matter what![10]
From its humble beginnings as a preservation method to its modern-day fusion creations, sushi has a rich and fascinating history. Whether you’re a seasoned sushi aficionado or new to this culinary delight, there’s always something new to discover. Sushi continues to evolve, surprise, and delight food lovers around the world.
What’s your favorite kind of sushi? Leave your comments below!
