Sushi, Where Did you Come From?

Sushi roll

Sushi? Japanese, of course. Well, yes... but sushi’s history is more complex than that. The origins of sushi can be traced back to the second century B.C., to the rice fields of-- not Japan-- China. 

Nearly 2,000 years before refrigerators, Chinese people needed a way to preserve fish. So they salted it and wrapped it in fermented rice and called it narezushi. The salt prevented the growth of microorganisms and bacteria; the rice was used to further preserve the fish and was thrown out before eating. 

It wasn’t until the 8th century that the dish spread to Japan, with the first known reference of sushi there occurring in 718 A.D. The dish evolved through the following centuries. By the 18th century, sushi had made it to Edo, Japan-- now known as Tokyo. Three famous sushi restaurants opened and claimed their place in history, followed by thousands more by the end of the century. The fish at restaurants was commonly cooked, not raw, due to a lack of refrigeration. 

Sushi evolved once again when a chef named Hanaya Yohei realized the rice, instead of being thrown away, could be tossed with vinegar and included to form a convenient and more affordable dish. And there it was-- the sushi we know and love today. 

It didn’t take long for sushi to spread to other countries, and by the 1900s it entered western culture. Sushi’s popularity in the West was dominated by the upper class until the 1960s, when the American middle class started trying it for themselves. Sushi restaurants popped up throughout the country, and chefs started dabbling with new flavors and combinations to target the taste buds of hesitant diners. The popular California roll was born, with cucumber, real or imitation crab meat, and avocado. 

Now sushi can be found all over the globe, including in Mexico. In addition to offering the traditional take on the dish, Mexico has developed its own brand of sushi, not surprisingly, with ingredients like cooked shrimp, cilantro, bacon, and cheese. In Mexico City, sushi has been known to be wrapped in food like mango or plantain slices, opening up a whole new world for this classically Asian food.

For the truly adventurous at-home chefs, sushi is easy to recreate at home. (See recipe below). Get creative, make it true to your own palette. The combinations of what you can roll up in vinegar-laced sticky rice are endless.