[Sca-cooks] sushi (probably oop)

[Ron Carnegie]

/*

   Interesting theory.  I have no idea what history sushi has.  When I
studied Japanese history years ago I could find very

little on its food.  However not all sushi use wasabi.  According  to Shizuo
Tsuji's book JAPANESE COOKING A SIMPLE ART, "Sushi originated as a way of
preserving funa, or crucian, a kind of carp.  the fish was salted and
allowed to mature on a bed of vinagered rice, after which the rice was
discarded."  This if correct (Tsuji is a cook not a historian) implies that
it is salt and vinegar that is preserving the fish.

    The book also mentions that we (Americans) limit the term Sushi
incorrectly,  much as I am being accused of on another thread ;).  What we
call sushi is nigiri-sushi (hand shaped).  There is also oshi-zushi which is
pressed sushi.  This is vinagered rice packed into a mold and covered with
marinated or boiled fish.  Maki-sushi is rolled in seaweed, Americans
usually get the cheap version of this called in Japan nori-maki. This is
similar to maki-sushi but uses far more rice. It allows the chef to use less
certain fish! Here I disagree with Tsuji.  I would argue that Americans
combine nigiri and nori-maki when they say sushi, and some better places
have been offering real maki-sushi for the last ten years or so.  The book
is older than that 1980).  The next type of sushi described by Tsuji is
apparently the most common in Japan.  This is chirashi-zushi or scattered
sushi.  This is simply seafood and vegetables in or on vinagered rice.
There is also Inari-ziushi and Fukusa-zushi which are lunch sushi.  On is in
a bean curd pouch and the other in a square of paper thin omelets.  Tsuji
says they only thing that is always present in any form of sushi is the
vinagered rice, though the fish seems to be a common theme to me!

    Sorry to have strayed off topic (or possibly off topic) Japanese food is
a real interest of mine, left over from my short Japanaphile phase!

Ranald de Balinhard,
formerly Yakazawa Buntaro
>
>
>  From what I read, in about ten seconds of contact. There were other
> micro-organisms listed, with there reaction to wasabi, rice vinegar,
> ginger, and one other ingredient that I forgot, but the wasabi-cholera
> one was the one that stuck with me (I'm a bit of a non-canonical
> wasabiophile when it come to sushi). Their point was how sushi evolved
> as a way to preserve fish.
>
> --
> Edouard, Sire de Bruyerecourt
> bruyere at jeffnet.org
> ================================================================
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