The Art of Sushi: - Sushi, the most famous Japanese cuisine of all, is actually not originally from the "Land of the Rising Sun" at all! The history of sushi can actually be traced all the way back to ancient China.
In 7th century China, the only way to preserve fish was by the process of fermentation. How this happened was that the fish after being cleaned and filleted, was pressed in between thick layers of salt. It was then weighed down by a type of heavy stone and stayed that way for several weeks.
Later the heavy stone was replaced by a lighter cover, after which it took a further couple of months before the fish completed its fermentation process and was ready to be taken out of the salt layers.
The Art of Sushi - A Japanese Tradition !
Down the centuries, the delicate art of sushi production has evolved. The most well known kind of sushi around the world today is "Nigirizushi", which was made popular by Hanaya Yohei in Japan back in the 1800’s.
There are several different types of sushi:
"Nigirizushi" - is made up of a slice of fresh raw fish, draped over an oblong-formed rice mound.
"Narezushi" - traditional type of sushi, which makes use of the fermentation process, is called.
"Makizushi" - is sushi served within or wrapped around nori (a type of seaweed).
"Inarizushi" - is sushi in a pouch of tofu & stuffed with toppings.
"Chirashi-zushi" - is a bowl of sushi rice with scattered toppings.
"Oshizushi" is pressed sushi and is a specialty from Osaka in Japan.
Sushi, which is made of fish or seafood & served with vinegar rice, is sometimes confused with "Sashimi". Although both of them make use of raw fish, sashimi is actually thinly sliced fish and served on its own.
In Japan the art of sushi is practiced not just in the swanky expensive restaurants of Tokyo, but can be found on most street corners around the country. In a similar fashion to the Thai Street Food vendors in Thailand ,some of the very best & freshest sushi is that which originates on the streets!
As its quick & easy to prepare, its a firm favorite with all Japanese households, its clean & easy to eat, so you will see people eating sushi pretty much everywhere, on the trains, even at the theater!, it fits in perfectly with their busy lifestyles, its the Japanese tilt on "fast food"!
Its also particularly popular with health-conscious people. Each piece of sushi is a complete mini-meal on its own, as sushi is made up of fish or seafood, rice and some vegetables or fruits.
The reason for its popularity is because most seafoods are low in fat, but still high in protein. Using oily fish-types like tuna is also a good source of Omega-3 fatty acid, which combats heart disease, arthritis and cancer. Avocados are also commonly used in western-style sushi, as they are a good source of Vitamin E and antioxidants, recognised as being key components of any Anti Aging Nutrition plan .
The Art of Sushi - How to Make Great Sushi!
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