SUSHI – history

Japanese literature includes evidence that sushi as a special type of dish existed as early as in the Heian Period (794-1185 AD). However, the sushi of that time differed considerably from the various colourful appetizers we know today. In the original form of sushi, salted fish and mussels were put in wooden barrels, marinated and eaten solo, with sour seasoning. In the 17th century, the fish marinating method changed. The practice of adding slightly salted cooked rice to the wooden barrels with raw fish developed. This was primarily to accelerate the fish fermentation process and prevent the meat from going bad. We should mention that such a dish could stay good in a barrel from four to twelve months. According to Japanese literature, such a food preservation method had special applications for the Japanese army, which chose this technique for its war expeditions as it was highly practical, for instance in terms of transport, and the meal was light and nutritious.

The nineteenth century was a breakthrough time for sushi. In the initial years of that century, a merchant and restaurant owner named Yohei Hanaya launched the sale of sushi in Tokyo’s markets and bazaars. He would bring fresh fish in ice-filled boxes to sell them, sliced and arranged on rice balls, from a four-wheel cart converted to a mobile bar (such food carts with cheap dishes, known as yattai, can still be seen on the island of Kiusiu today). Sushi was served with green tea in large cups, and yattai customers rinsed their fingers in the tea leftovers after the meal, and they wiped them in the fabric (curtain) separating them from the “kitchen” on the cart. Yohei Hanaya quickly gained followers and competitors. Sushi lovers chose yattai stands with the dirtiest curtains as this showed that the cart had plenty of customers so its sushi had to be of good quality.

To sum up, sushi is a way of serving specially prepared rice.
The fish, raw in most cases, is merely an addition.