ROUSES_JulyAug2019_Magazine

SUSHI SPREAD

photo by Romney Caruso

The sushi we eat today is vastly different from the barrel-fermented fish and rice known as nare-sushi, or narezushi. That version originated in Southeast Asia as early as the 3rd to 5th century B.C. as a practical means of preserving fish. The Buddhist dietary practice of abstaining from meat helped sushi extend to Japan, as people turned to fish in place of meat. Sushi-making techniques, including the use of cooked rice dressed with rice vinegar, sugar and salt — to make it savory, or umami — continued to evolve. (Umami, pronounced, oo-MOM-ee, is known as the fifth taste.) Thanks to advances in refrigeration, the dish we recognize today as sushi was eventually developed.

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JULY•AUGUST 2019