Sushi!

Sushi is another one of my Japanese culture loves. I enjoy it so much, that I make my own at home most of the time. I have a few friends are who pretty darn excited that there is someone to make sushi for them (since its kinda difficult and terribly messy). However most are not nearly as excited about it, in fact the BFF going to Japan and thus the reason for this blog believes sushi to be one of the most revolting substances on the face of the earth. He is going to to birth place of sushi and he does not even like it! Not fair, I tell you, not fair! Haha

There are lots of different ways to make sushi, the authentic way is to use raw fish. I however am not a fan of potentially contracting tape worm or ecoli so I use imitation (cooked) crab or skip the fish all together and use jams, cream cheese and pineapple chunks.

This is how I learned to make Sushi at home. I don't use all those odd looking ingredients though.


History of Sushi: "The main idea in the preparation of sushi is the preservation and fermentation of fish with salt and rice, a process that has been traced back to Southeast Asia where fish and rice fermentation dishes still exist today. The science behind the fermentation of fish in rice is that the vinegar produced from the fermenting rice breaks the fish down into amino acids. This results in one of the five basic tastes, called umami in Japanese.^[3] The oldest form of sushi in Japan, Narezushi still very closely resembles this process. In Japan, Narezushi evolved into Oshizushi and ultimately Edomae nigirizushi, which is what the world today knows as "sushi".

The contemporary version, internationally known as "sushi," was invented by Hanaya Yohei (華屋与兵衛; 1799–1858) at the end of Edo period in Edo. The sushi invented by Hanaya was an early form of fast food that was not fermented (it was therefore prepared quickly) and could be eaten with one's hands roadside or in a theatre.^[4] Originally, this sushi was known as Edomae zushi, because it used freshly caught fish in the Edo-mae (Edo Bay or Tokyo Bay). Though the fish used in modern sushi no longer usually comes from Tokyo Bay, it is still formally known as Edomae nigirizushi." - From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi