Sushi is a Japanese dish made primarily with vinegared rice. Like other Japanese dishes, sushi is vibrantly colored. To prepare it, fresh seafood such as sea urchin roe, abalone, botan shrimp, scallops, salmon roe, cod milt, tuna, and salmon are sliced and placed on top of snow-white, fragrant rice. After a few gentle kneading and shaping, a layer of bright green wasabi is spread on top, and finally, it's placed on an antique-style porcelain plate… This combination of colors truly makes it a feast for the eyes. Eating sushi is about enjoying it whole; the entire piece should be eaten in one bite. Only in this way can one truly appreciate the deliciousness of the sushi, allowing the aroma of the rice and the flavor of the raw fish to blend perfectly, filling the mouth completely, leaving no gaps. The rich flavor lingers in the mouth for a long time.
Sushi was already recorded in the Engishiki, a legal code completed in 927 AD during the Heian period, and is considered a traditional Japanese food, originating in the late Yayoi period. At that time, sushi referred to a method used by the early inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago to preserve fish. Salt is rubbed onto the fish, which is then pressed down with a heavy object to allow it to ferment naturally. Once it develops a sour taste, it is ready to eat and tastes excellent (i.e., fish sushi). This method originated in Japan. Because it was time-consuming and laborious, it soon evolved into simply soaking the fish in vinegar. In a broader sense, sushi refers to any food made by adding other fillings to rice seasoned with vinegar. At that time, merchants would pickle rice balls in vinegar, add seafood or meat, press them into small pieces, and use them as provisions along their journeys. This practice became widespread in Japan but was rare in other regions. The ingredients at that time also included various sashimi (raw fish slices), and it was called "Edo-style scattered sushi," also known as "nigiri sushi" (i.e., nigiri sushi), which is the most popular type of sushi today.
The word "sushi" ("SUSHI") and "sour" refer to food pickled in sour sauce. Around 700 AD, during the Nara period, the Japanese people would pickle rice balls in vinegar, add seafood or meat, press them into small pieces, and neatly arrange them in a small wooden box as provisions for their journeys. During the Kamakura Shogunate period, sushi began to spread widely throughout Japan, remaining a popular and delicious food for generations.
