4 Fun Facts About Sushi
If you are craving sushi in Eagle Idaho,
you might be wondering how sushi came to be in Japan, and how it jumped
the ocean to America. These fun facts will give you an insight into the
history of sushi and give you the perfect trivia for happy hour.
Sushi’s Chinese Origins: Fermented Rice and Fish
The story of sushi starts in China, according to PBS, with a fourth-century dictionary mentioning salted fish placed in cooked rice to go through fermentation for preservation. As Buddhism spread from China to nearby Japan, the Buddhists took this preservation method with them. Buddhists abstain from meat, and so fish was a staple food. Instead of throwing out the rice after the fish fermented, they ate it all together, calling it narezushi, “aged sushi.” Waste not, want not.
HanayaYohei Offers the First Modern Sushi as “Fast Food”
Sushi as we know it didn’t come about until the 1800s. As PBS notes, in 1824, HanayaYohei opened a sushi stall in the Ryogoku district of Edo, next to the Sumida River. Tuna, at the time, was not highly regarded like today, but it was plentiful. By adding rice vinegar and salt to freshly cooked rice, he was able to speed up the fermentation process, creating a sort of “fast food” sushi compared to sushi that came before. He rolled this into a ball and served a thin slice of fish on top. Modern sushi in the form of nigiri was born and became the new standard. Bonus fun fact: A popular chain of Japanese sushi restaurants is named after HanayaYohei.
Early American Sushi Was Shaped with Cookie Cutters
According to Sasha Issenberg’s The Sushi Economy, by about 1949 Matsuno Sushi in Little Tokyo began serving—for the first time in America—makizushi. A sushi roll surrounded by a sheet of seaweed, makizushi is often what Americans first associate with “sushi.” A famous example is the California roll. However, Matsuno’s makizushi rolls were shaped with cookie cutters, not trained chefs, and seasoned with Heinz white vinegar. Sushi’s come a long way since then.
Kawafuku, the First True Sushi Bar in the U.S.
The “first true sushi bar,” Issenberg notes, didn’t appear in the United States until almost 20 years after Matsuno Sushi offered cookie cutter-shaped sushi. In 1964, a trained sushi chef named Saito arrived in Los Angeles and soon opened Kawafuku Restaurant in Little Tokyo. It was the first restaurant to introduce Americans to sushi made by a trained sushi chef. Saito focused on using seafood he could get from the local seafood market, with a menu focused on flounder, tuna, octopus, mackerel, sea urchin, and abalone. He prepared the seafood to order, and then served the sushi over a counter.
Today, sushi with a multitude of ingredients can be found all over the US. Sushi is the perfect complement to cocktails for happy hour in Meridian.
About Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill
If you are looking for one of the best places to eat in Meridian with sushi, look no further than Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill. Their menu includes a fusion of Asian classics and twists on American comfort food that will delight anyone in the family. Hand-rolled sushi, meatloaf with wasabi mashed potatoes, and stir fry straight from the wok ensure a menu with something for everyone to enjoy. It’s the perfect place to have cocktail specials during happy hour, a business lunch, a date night out, or a treat for the kids in a family-friendly atmosphere. Stop in at Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill to experience exotic flavors close to home.
For more information about their next-level Asian fusion creations and to make a reservation, go to Lingandlouies.com
Sushi’s Chinese Origins: Fermented Rice and Fish
The story of sushi starts in China, according to PBS, with a fourth-century dictionary mentioning salted fish placed in cooked rice to go through fermentation for preservation. As Buddhism spread from China to nearby Japan, the Buddhists took this preservation method with them. Buddhists abstain from meat, and so fish was a staple food. Instead of throwing out the rice after the fish fermented, they ate it all together, calling it narezushi, “aged sushi.” Waste not, want not.
HanayaYohei Offers the First Modern Sushi as “Fast Food”
Sushi as we know it didn’t come about until the 1800s. As PBS notes, in 1824, HanayaYohei opened a sushi stall in the Ryogoku district of Edo, next to the Sumida River. Tuna, at the time, was not highly regarded like today, but it was plentiful. By adding rice vinegar and salt to freshly cooked rice, he was able to speed up the fermentation process, creating a sort of “fast food” sushi compared to sushi that came before. He rolled this into a ball and served a thin slice of fish on top. Modern sushi in the form of nigiri was born and became the new standard. Bonus fun fact: A popular chain of Japanese sushi restaurants is named after HanayaYohei.
Early American Sushi Was Shaped with Cookie Cutters
According to Sasha Issenberg’s The Sushi Economy, by about 1949 Matsuno Sushi in Little Tokyo began serving—for the first time in America—makizushi. A sushi roll surrounded by a sheet of seaweed, makizushi is often what Americans first associate with “sushi.” A famous example is the California roll. However, Matsuno’s makizushi rolls were shaped with cookie cutters, not trained chefs, and seasoned with Heinz white vinegar. Sushi’s come a long way since then.
Kawafuku, the First True Sushi Bar in the U.S.
The “first true sushi bar,” Issenberg notes, didn’t appear in the United States until almost 20 years after Matsuno Sushi offered cookie cutter-shaped sushi. In 1964, a trained sushi chef named Saito arrived in Los Angeles and soon opened Kawafuku Restaurant in Little Tokyo. It was the first restaurant to introduce Americans to sushi made by a trained sushi chef. Saito focused on using seafood he could get from the local seafood market, with a menu focused on flounder, tuna, octopus, mackerel, sea urchin, and abalone. He prepared the seafood to order, and then served the sushi over a counter.
Today, sushi with a multitude of ingredients can be found all over the US. Sushi is the perfect complement to cocktails for happy hour in Meridian.
About Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill
If you are looking for one of the best places to eat in Meridian with sushi, look no further than Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill. Their menu includes a fusion of Asian classics and twists on American comfort food that will delight anyone in the family. Hand-rolled sushi, meatloaf with wasabi mashed potatoes, and stir fry straight from the wok ensure a menu with something for everyone to enjoy. It’s the perfect place to have cocktail specials during happy hour, a business lunch, a date night out, or a treat for the kids in a family-friendly atmosphere. Stop in at Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill to experience exotic flavors close to home.
For more information about their next-level Asian fusion creations and to make a reservation, go to Lingandlouies.com
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