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Sushi's origins go back thousands of years to the rice fields of Asia, China to be precise. This may shock you, as most people assume that sushi was first created in Japan. However, this is not the case. While Japan is certainly the sushi capital of the world and responsible for introducing the dish to travelers, sushi can be traced back to a Chinese dish called narezushi.
This dish was made of fermented rice and salted fish. And, despite what you may think, it was not fermented and salted for flavor. The first known origin of the dish dates back to the 2nd century BC, so it predates refrigerators by almost 2000 years.
For this reason, narezushi was actually a very practical dish. The rice was fermented to preserve it, and the fish was also heavily salted to prevent the growth of bacteria and microorganizms, keeping it fresher longer, even when stored without any kind of refrigeration. And, interestingly, the rice was usually discarded when the fish was eaten. It was only used to wrap and preserve the fish.
The dish spread from China to Japan in the 8th century. The first reference to sushi appeared in the Yoro Code, written in 718.
Over the following centuries, the dish slowly began to change. The Japanese began to eat three meals a day, boil their rice and use rice vinegar to help ferment the rice faster. The smell of preserved fish was still strong, but a faster fermentation process reduced the time it took to create the Japanese sushi dish.
In the mid-18th century, sushi spread to Edo, where three famous sushi restaurants; Matsunozushi, Kenukizushi and Yoheizushi were opened. Thousands of others followed in the late 18th century. A writer in 1852 stated that for every 100 × 100 square meter block (cho) in Edo, there were 1-2 sushi restaurants!
However, this sushi was not quite the same as the sushi we know today. It was often cooked, due to lack of refrigeration, and served in bigger pieces. If you want to trace the history of sushi as we know it today, you should learn about a chef named Hanaya Yohei who changed the world of sushi forever. This dish has since spread all over the world. Check out our sushi entertainment for events.