Sushi is a dish that comes with rice and fish. Sometimes it comes with seaweed. It has greatly developed over time. Sushi’s first written evidence of its existence was found in a Chinese dictionary in the 4th century. They discovered that if they put salted fish in cooked rice it would extend the fish’s shelf life. In the 9th century sushi is believed to have been introduced to Japan. It rapidly became popular through Buddhism. Buddhism restricted meat which meant that fish was their source of protein. Japan was credited with the invention of sushi since it was the first to serve sushi as a dish and not as a way to preserve the fish. The process of making sushi was long. They put salted rice and fish under a weight to speed up the fermentation process. This process took half a year to complete, so sushi was only for people of high rank. This lasted from the 9th to the 14th century. In the 15th century Japan was in the middle of a civil war. During this time, cooks found out that adding more weights would reduce the time to 1 month. They also found out that fish did not need to reach full decomposition in order to taste great. In 1606 a Japanese dictator moved the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo, later known as Tokyo. Edo became a hub of Japanese nightlife. In the mid-16th century, people found out that placing a layer of cooked rice with vinegar alongside a layer of fish in a small wooden box and compressing it would reduce the process time to 2 hours. Then in 1824 a man named Hanaya Yohei opened the first sushi stall next to the one of the only bridges that crossed the Sumida. He made sushi by adding vinegar and salt to freshly cooked rice and letting it sit for a few minutes. Then he would put a piece of fish on top of a ball of rice. The fish was fresh from the bay, so there was no need to ferment it or preserve it. This process took only a few minutes, instead of hours or days, which changed sushi’s popularity. Soon, stands like Hanaya’s were popping up all over Tokyo. Then, on September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck. It destroyed many houses and buildings. Afterwards, land prices dropped significantly. People soon bought and moved their sushi stands indoors. Now most sushi restaurants are indoors. Los Angeles was the first American city to successfully adopt sushi. In 1966 a man named Noritoshi Kanai and his business partner, Harry Wolff, opened Kawafuku Restaurant. Kawafuku was the first to offer traditional nigiri sushi to American patrons. The restaurant was successful to Japanese businessmen, who then introduced it to their American colleagues. In 1970, the first sushi bar in Hollywood opened and catered to celebrities. This made sushi an American success. And the rest is history.
Sources:
Avey, Tori. “Discover the History of Sushi.” PBS, 5 Sept. 2012, www.pbs.org/food/
the-history-kitchen/history-of-sushi/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2024.