Sushi – Popular Japanese Food

March 21, 2011 | Health & Wellness, Life & Leisure


Nowadays, Sushi is becoming the most popular of all the Japanese food in the restaurants. In fact, many of us wanted to taste how good sushi as food is even if it did not originate in our country. However, we still do not know how it is being processed and how it affects ones health. How is this food different from our favorites? When and where did it originate?

Sushi originated in China and was being introduced to Japan during 7th century. It lasted for many centuries as a Japanese heritage up to the present. Some might say it is a raw fish and some might say not. According to some, sushi is a combination of shellfish, raw or cooked fish vegetables and fermented rice. However, some may also say that it is cooked because it is sushi; in Japan if raw fish is used it should be sashi according to the meaning.

We all know that fish is loaded with high quality protein and calcium that our body needs, therefore sushi is good for our health. It has omega3 fatty acids that enhances blood circulation and improves heart activity. However, if it is improperly processed it could be also harmful to our health.  If it is not cooked properly, you might ingest the parasites in the fish which might contribute many diseases which would result in health risks.

In history, sushi has its classifications.

1.       Nare-zushi. The traditional lacto-fermented rice dish in Japan made of salted fish wrapped in fermented rice. The well-cooked or gutted fish wrapped inside the fermented rice for protection from any bacteria or food contamination. Japanese only eat the preserved fish and the rice was being disposed.

2.       Namanare or Namanari. Another classification of sushi which is mostly popular in Japanese restaurants Muromachi period. Japanese prefer to eat Namanare because they want to eat rice with partly cooked fish together. As the years went by, the new way of wrapping the fish in the rice was no longer a means of preservation but a new fish dish in the entire Japanese cuisines.

3.       Haya-zushi. This third type of sushi was the beginning of using rice not for fermentation purposes but as food. Rice is now being mixed with vinegar in the fish and vegetables and dried food preservatives as well for additional flavors.

As of today, all types of sushi are now very popular in every Chinese and Japanese Cuisines. In fact, each country that popularized sushi foods utilized many local flavors in order to create a new variety of sushi depending on the taste of the local civilizations.

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Comments (1)

 

  1. Concealer says:

    Wow, I didn’t realise there were so many types of sushi. Not sure if I like the first option?

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