NIPPONIA No. 47 December 15, 2008
Special Feature
Sushi! Sushi! Sushi!
Yui Ryuichi, the third-generation proprietor and head chef at Kizushi. Even though his sushi shop is among the best in Tokyo, he remains down to earth and friendly to customers.
Left: Yui’s first and second sons (Kazuhiro, left, and Koji) work with him, and will take over the establishment one day.
Right: Chopsticks, a bowl for soy sauce and other items sit on a tray, waiting at a counter for the next customer.
Rice and fish are central to Japanese cuisine, and the two come together perfectly in sushi. Sushi’s roots go deep in Japan, although apparently the first “sushi” was made long ago in Southeast Asia and China as a way to preserve food, using the ability of rice to promote lactic acid fermentation and protect seafood from bacterial action. Today, each region in Japan has its own traditional sushi recipes, keeping alive a treasure house of culinary variety reflecting local conditions and preferences. Among the oldest of these is the funa-zushi1 of Shiga Prefecture. That recipe calls for a fish called funa to be pickled in rice and salt for about half a year. The mixture undergoes lactic acid fermentation, producing a strong, rich odor something like that of a mature washed-rind cheese. Take a single thin slice of the sushi, place it in a bowl and pour hot water on top—you will find the taste delectably complex.
A short history of hand-molded nigiri-zushi
From a scene entitled Onadai Shusse Sugoroku in an ukiyoe woodblock print from the 1800s, by Toyohara Kunichika. Property of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theater Museum at Waseda University.
If someone mentions sushi, you will probably think first of the type formed in front of you by a professional sushi chef. This is nigiri-zushi. On the bottom is rice that has been seasoned with vinegar and a small amount of salt. The rice is hand-molded into an easy-to-manage clump, and then topped with seafood. This type was first made in the early 1800s, when the people of the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo) developed a taste for good eating. Back then, “Edo gourmets” were also creating other recipes that still survive today, like unagi no kaba-yaki (split, grilled eel), tempura (bite-size vegetables and seafood dipped in a batter then deep-fried), and soba (buckwheat noodles). These dishes are representative of Tokyo cuisine, and are now served throughout Japan. Edo sprang up on Edo Bay (now called Tokyo Bay), a place rich in fish and shellfish. The best of these were served as toppings on clumps of sushi rice. This was Edo’s haya-zushi (“speedy sushi”), a fashionable fast food that fulfilled the desire of the people of that city for flair and perfection, or iki2. The popularity of this new sushi quickly surpassed that of the main type served at the time, hako-zushi (a pressed sushi), and took Edo by storm. But hako-zushi did not die out, and is still central to the sushi repertoire of Osaka, Kyoto and other places in the Kansai region.
Part of the genius of traditional sushi lies in its ability to play up the flavor of a particular seafood to the maximum, while preserving it at the same time. Great to eat, and safe to eat, too—in the old days, chefs introduced one innovation after another to push the “delicious and safe” bar higher. Next time you are at a sushi counter, ask for an ikkan3 helping of nigiri-zushi. The sushi rice and the topping are quite different, as far as ingredients go, but they balance each other out, making a delicious harmony.
The art of making nigiri-zushi reached its present state of near perfection around 1910, using toppings that are either marinated raw with salt and vinegar, or simmered, or even steamed. Nigiri-zushi began in old Edo, but it continued strong after the city’s name changed to Tokyo in the 1860s, carrying on traditions that became famous throughout Japan as Edo-mae (Edo style) nigiri-zushi.
Of course, today’s rapid transportation systems and refrigeration have eliminated the need for the old-fashioned preservation methods. But the genius of sushi chefs of old remains true today—no matter how high the quality of the seafood, and no matter how fresh it is, in many cases it is far better to serve it not raw but marinated, simmered or steamed the old-fashioned way. That is, if you want your nigiri-zushi next to perfect. The best sushi chefs are willing to take the extra time to practice the old Edo-mae techniques. Read on to explore the world of Edo-mae-zushi.
