By Daun Daemon 



Say "sushi" to most Americans and enjoy the contorted expressions 

 and odd noises the word elicits. People who will eat steak tartare or grill 

 their burgers with a bloody middle feign gagging at the mention of a small 

 cut of raw fish. 



But a growing number of Westerners are discovering these Eastern 

 delicacies, which have been staple food in Japan for centuries. Why are 

 more and more people willing to eat their seafood in the raw? One 

 possible answer is that many pieces of sushi are not raw, but rather 

 cooked, smoked or marinated. 



Still, most folks who eat at sushi bars will try a raw cut or two, 

 possibly because the food's beauty is so enticing. When arrayed on a 

 platter and served with artful garnishes, the nuggets of fish and rice look 

 for all the world like an offering of precious jewels in glistening hues of 

 topaz, ruby and pearly white. 



To many, the cost for this finger food puts it in the same luxury 

 category as gemstones. At about $3 to $4 for a two-piece serving, a meal 

 for one person can cost $30. The high price coupled with the exotic flair 

 may be one reason sushi has caught on as a "yuppie" food. 



But a true connoisseur, a sushi tsu, will tell you the real reason he eats 

 sushi is indefinable. It's both a taste and dining experience, a challenge to 

 pick the freshest catch that day and a spirited communion with the chef at 

 the bar. 



This fascination with bite-sized bundles of rice and fish all started 

 centuries ago with a little fermentation. 



WHERE DID SUSHI COME FROM? 



Most sources agree that what we know today as sushi originated as a 

 way to preserve fish. According to the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Japan, 

 the method actually arose in ancient China. Salted fish (usually carp) 

 packed in rice was fermented for up to a year before the rice was thrown 

 away and the fish served. 



Eventually the pickling process crossed the waters to Japan, where it 

 was modified through time. By the 1800s, chefs began to use vinegar to 

 approximate the fermented flavor and cut the preparation time substan- 

 tially. The rice was then found appetizing enough to eat with the fish. 



Also around this time, the forerunners of today's sushi bars began to 

 pop up in Japan's large cities: street stalls that offered sushi as snack fare 

 to passers-by. 



And different parts of the country developed different sushi styles. 



The type best known to American aficionados — nigirizushi — arose in 



Edo, the city now called Tokyo. Equally popular in Japan is oshizushi, a 



form developed in the country's financial capital, Osaka. „ 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 



