History of Sushi

Sushi’s long history stretches back to ancient times in China, where fish was salted and preserved in rice for months. This very early version of sushi was dried and eaten without rice. The concept jumped to Japan around the 8th Century.

The Japanese preferred to eat the fish a little raw and, unlike in China, began to use the rice as part of the dish. This sumptuous food was known as Nare-zushi and was enjoyed exclusively by the upper classes.

Gradually a method to combine the fish and rice was developed, while vinegar was added to the rice to aid a faster fermentation process.

The dish we now call sushi is said to have been invented as a form of fast food in the 19th Century by a chef called Hanaya Yohei, who started to use fresh fish.

Until the early part of the 20th Century, expert sushi chefs lived and operated almost exclusively in Tokyo. However, the Great Kanto earthquake forced them to disperse all over the country, meaning sushi spread suddenly across the whole country. It has been spreading across the world ever since!