Sushi has become a favorite food in the U.S., giving diners a taste of Japan. However, terms like sushi and sashimi are used interchangeably, when they are not the same thing. It is time for a brief history lesson.
By John Jacobs

Sometimes it seems like there is a new sushi restaurant opening up on every other corner in U.S. cities. It has become more than a food though. People who love to eat sushi are likely to give the impression they are sophisticated and worldly because many people refuse to eat "raw fish."

The problem with that refusal is that sushi does not refer to raw fish. In fact, sushi does not even need fish in it to be called sushi. Asking for sashimi instead is no help to the person who will not eat raw fish because sashimi is almost always made with some type of sea creature meat.

Sushi and sashimi are foods with a Japanese heritage, so it is time to learn some sushi and sashimi history and be prepared to order raw fish … or not.

Sushi, Sushi Everywhere
Sushi has become so popular that it seems to be found everywhere now. Not only are a variety of restaurants and highbrow bars serving sushi, there are sushi-themed restaurants. Sushi is also available in grocery stores, with some chains hiring sushi chefs who prepare take-home sushi for people with taste buds craving this specialty food.

While most people know sushi is made with different ingredients, only the connoisseurs of sushi know its history, the types of sushi, and the difference between sushi and sashimi, or nigiri for that matter.

Eating sushi is a cultural excursion into Japanese food, artistic expression and chef training. Traditional sushi prepared by a sushi chef (an itamae) are masterpieces of food ingredients and artistic flair.

It is also a cultural food because its history begins in the 3rd to 5th centuries B.C. in Southeast Asia (probably China). Probably (though not proven), Chinese wanderers brought early forms of sushi to Japan, and now sushi is considered a Japanese food. This is according to Japanese cooking instructor Yoko Isassi who has done extensive research on sushi's history.

The sushi back then is not the sushi of today. In its earliest form, it was nare-sushi which is fish and rice pickled in a barrel. The rice was tossed after a year, and the fish was ready to eat or store. Ancient people needed a way to preserve food without refrigeration, and this did the trick.

That's a Wrap!
Continuing with Isassi's history lesson, the next generation of sushi was han-nare sushi in which the same fermentation process was used, but the timeframe was reduced to a month. Originating sometime before the 14th century, people started eating the rice and the fish, developing a taste for rice made sour by lactic acid.

Between the 14th and 18th centuries, the fermentation time was shortened even more to a few days, creating haya-nare sushi or box-pressed cured fish. Pickled, cured or cooked fish was packed on top of rice and pressed with a wooden box. In Japan, people began to wrap the sushi (rice) with various food items, like persimmon or bamboo leaves. A taste for vinegar was fully developed since rice wine vinegar was used to season the rice.

Next came edo-mae sushi which was conceived in the early 19th century. It was first a street food that consisted of quickly cured fish served over rice that was seasoned with vinegar. This was the beginnings of modern sushi in which small portions of raw fish slices were placed over rice. Street food sushi moved indoors after World War II, and sushi then spread around the world. In the 1960s, the inside out sushi roll appeared in Los Angeles.

A food that has roots in the preservation of food for sustenance has morphed over the decades into an elite food. The word sushi roughly translates to mean "sour tasting" with the sour first achieved via lactic acid and then vinegar.

Since sushi does not mean raw fish, it naturally follows that "real" does not have to have fish as an ingredient. It can be made of rice with vegetables, seaweed, egg or fish roe. If you do like sushi with seafood, the fish can be squid, fish or any variety of fish you can name.

When ordering sushi with raw fish over vinegared rice, it is called nigiri sushi. Norimaki sushi is made with vinegared rice, a vegetable, and fish, all wrapped in black seaweed (nori) wrappers. Temaki sushi is also wrapped in nori (seaweed) wraps but in the shape of a cone, so they can be picked up and dipped. Temaki means "hand roll."

Bring on the Raw Fish
These are just a few types of the most popular sushi served in the U.S. In Japan, more than 20 types of sushi are popular. Japanese sushi is made with tuna, squid, raw salmon, cucumber, sweet egg, salmon eggs, eel, mackerel, sea urchin and on the list goes.

So what is sashimi? Surprise! Sashimi is the word for slices of raw fish. Take nigari sushi and leave out the rice, and you get sashimi. It too is made using a large variety of raw seafood. The only seafood cooked is octopus. When you order any other type of sashimi, it will contain raw fish and is usually served on a bed of shredded radish (daikon) with wasabi and soy sauce. Sashimi has Japanese origins as far as historians have been able to determine.

Today, sushi and sashimi are associated with cultural intelligence and elitism, even when it is delivered to your home. Fast–food restaurants are popping up now that make sushi and sashimi for people in a hurry. Tell the server what you want in your sushi or sashimi, and it is made while you watch. If you are watching carbs, order sushi without rice. If you are counting calories, eat small portions of sushi, order sushi made with vegetables and, once again, skip the rice. Some rice used in sushi is made with vinegar and sugar.

You can now impress your friends with your knowledge of the history and modern take on sushi and sashimi.