Some Interesting Facts About Sushi
Did you know?
Sushi is not from Japan
What we know today as sushi originally came from Japan, but that the practice of wrapping raw fish in rice originated in Southeast Asia, where the fish was packed in a rice ball which would cause the rice to go bad but am at the same time, the fish would stay fresh for longer.
Wasabi
A lot of people don't realize that wasabi is a root that grows in moving water. It's almost impossible to get it fresh in South Africa and That's why most of the sushi restaurants here use wasabi powder mixed into a paste with water.
Sushi rice was not originally eaten
Generally, the fish was wrapped in the rice. It is used to protect fish from insects and prevent spoilage. Once the fish was eaten, the rice got thrown away, but over the centuries the custom changed and now the fresh seafood is wrapped in prepared rice with rice vinegar and white sugar.
The word sushi means rice
Sushi does not have to contain rice to be considered authentic. The word sushi refers to the rice used to make it. If vinegared rice is used in the roll, this is taken into account as Sushi.
Sushi can be wrapped in other ingredients than seaweed
Although the most well-known wrapping for sushi is seaweed, Cucumber, egg, soy paper and avocado are all substitutes.
Sushi was originally sold as an affordable snack
In the beginning, Sushi was not the delicacy it is and was sold as a quick and affordable snack that you can eat with your hands on the go.
The rice on the outer part is non-traditional
The popular California roll was actually invented in America. The main feature of this roll is that the rice is on the outside. We were able to trace the origins of the California roll back to the United States Los Angeles 1970s. Rumour has it that a sushi chef ran out of seasonal ingredients and decided to improvise. He used crab instead of fish and substituted avo for tuna. Since discovering that seaweed was too risky for the average person in Los Angeles. He decided to move it to the inside of the roll. That's how the California roll became.
This is how sushi should be eaten
Many types of sushi are eaten with the fingers. One of these is nigiri sushi, or "hand-pressed sushi." It may seem tempting to learn how to use chopsticks but sushi is actually meant to be eaten with the hands. Tamaki, which has an elongated shape, is expected to be eaten with the fingers. The use of chopsticks with some Kind of sushi is very difficult and impractical.