History
Japanese Sushi developed some hundred years ago by trying to
prevent fresh fish from perishing. The real origin of this
method however was not in Japan but in other South-East
Asian regions. To preserve the fresh raw fish by using
fermentation it was salted and pressed in layers of rice. A
heavy stone was used as a weight to achieve the needed pressure.
Fermented like this it was possible to eat the fish even
months later. First the rice was thrown away, later on eaten
together with the fish. This is the oldest form of Sushi existing today
and is called Nare-zushi (なれ鮨).
Only in the middle of the seventeenth century the Japanese
discovered that the fermentation of the ingredients could be
accelerated by adding vinegar to the rice. This knowledge is
the basis for all modern types of preparation where the stone
as a weight is no more used.
Today like in former times there are mainly two styles of
Sushi: The Kansai-style from Osaka situated in the region of
Kansai, and the Edo-style from Tokyo.
The more popular type of preparation for Sushi developed
around the region of Edo (the name of Tokyo until 1868). Just
catched in the bay of Edo, slices of fresh fish were taken as
cover for rice tidbits that were pressed and formed by hand.
This kind of Sushi is called
Nigiri-zushi (握り寿司) and today is spread
throughout the whole world.
Less know than the Edo-style today is a form of preparation
that developed in the region of Kansai around Osaka, the
economic center of Japan. Therefore you press the fish
together with the rice in a trough and afterwards cut it in
pieces. You call this Oshi-zushi (押し寿司).
Kanji
The first Kanji (letters from China, adopted by
the Japanese in the 5th century) for Sushi already existed 200
to 300 years b. c. in China. The Japanese today use different
versions. The composition of the Kanji for
Su and the Kanji for
Shi is about three fourths concerning its range
of use. Both letters literally do not have any connection to
Sushi, rice or fish but do mean "luck" and "to preside over":
In use frequently is as well an older Kanji for
Sushi. The left side of the Kanji means "fish", the
right side "delicious":
The Japanese own writing system Kana, consisting
of its syllable writings Hiragana and
Katakana, also knows corresponding letters for
Sushi:
 | Hiragana |
 | Katakana |
|
