For the millions who love it, eating sushi can be a near spiritual experience.  The ingredients are the very best, and it is important that they are respectfully handled.

The glistening, perfect pieces of food are arranged on serving plates with studied attention to detail and philosophical meaning.  Sushi chefs may train for years before they are allowed to handle a sushi knife.

However, you don't have to get all that serious at home.  To enjoy sushi as high art, treat yourself to a restaurant meal with an expert chef.  For your own enjoyment, make it yourself at home.  Basic sushi techniques are remarkably easy and enjoyable, and the results are delicious.

Often, when people hear "sushi," they think "raw fish," but a Japanese-style preparation of raw fish is properly called "sashimi."  Sushi often contains uncooked fish, but several of the most popular preparations are vegetarian.  It is actually the vinegar-infused rice, combined with premium-quality raw or cooked fish and vegetables, which is central to all sushi dishes.

Sushi is something that everyone can enjoy and the aim in our INTRODUCTION TO SUSHI KIT is to introduce you to it.  Use or Kit as a guide which will take you through the basics of shopping and the all-important preparation of the ingredients, enabling you to make the most popular sushi forms.

BEGINNINGS

Sushi began as a method of preserving fish and there is evidence to suggest that this began as early as the second century in China.

The ancient process involved using cleaned, raw fish which were then pressed between layers of salt and weighted with a stone.  After a few weeks, the stone was removed and replaced with a light cover, and a few months after that, the fermented fish was considered ready to eat.

Initially rice was used merely as a means to begin the fermentatio process and was discarded later.  Eventually, this was seen as unnecessarily wasteful so the rice was eaten as well.  It is believed that sushi was introduced into Japan in about the seventh century AD, although the exact date is not clear.

A nineteenth century chef by the name of Yohei is credit with serving sushi in its present form and foregoing the fermentation process in favor of preparing the rice in vinegar.  This new method of serving sushi fish became extremely popular and two distinct styles emerged.  The Kansai style, named after the Kansai region where Osaka is located, uses wooden boxes to press the rice and fish together.  This type of sushi is called Hako-Zushi.  Historically, this style owes much to the rice merchants who traded in Osaka.  With more rice available to the populace, it is no surprise that this type of sushi consisted primarily of seasoned rice mixed with other ingredients to form decorative, delicious packages.

The other predominant style of sushi, Edo, originated in Tokyo (which was formerly known as Edo).  It's situation next to a bay, rich with fish and shellfish, led to the development of sushi.  with a select piece of seafood placed on only a small pad of seasoned rice, Nigiri sushi is one example which is now popular in sushi bars around the world.

Fast food sushi bars and restaurants are by no means a new invention.  Sushi stalls were emerging almost everywhere in Edo by the middle of the nineteenth century.  with handly wheels on the stalls, the sushi traders could move around to the most profitable spots.  Without tables or chairs there was little formality.  Customers used their fingers to dip sushi in the communal soy sauce, a tradition that certainly wouldn't stand up to today's hygiene standards.

After the Kanto earthquake of 1923, actual sushi bars spread in popularity.  Equipped with chairs and tables, they allowed customers to choose to sit to eat, although many continued to consume their food outside.

By the 1960s people turned against the informality of eating while standing, and seated restaurants became the acceptable way to eat sushi.  Today, there is a vast array of establishemnts that sell sushi--restaurants, stalls, and even grocery stores have all helped to make the food readily available for everyone to enjoy.

HEALTH BENEFITS:  Not only does sushi taste great, it is also healthy and nutritious.  Health-conscious individuals find that sushi allows them to have a nutritious meal wihtout consuming excessive amounts of fat, cholesterol, sodium, or calories.

FOOD SAFETY:  Many sushi dishes are made using raw fish, which is a high-risk food product.  There is nothing frightening about handling or eating high-risk food products, as long as you purchase, prepare and store them correctly.

PURCHASING FRESH FISH:  You can use almost any fish for sushi, so long as it is very fresh, preferably straight from the market that morning.

CHOOSING FISH FOR SUSHI:

• Karei (lemon sole)
• Katsuo (bonito)
• maguro (bluefin tuna)
• saba (mackerel)
• sake (salmon)
• tai (red snapper, sea bream)
• ohya garei (halibut)
• hirame (turbot)

We hope that this short introduction to SUSHI has been helpful.  For further information, please visit our eBay Store where we carry A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SUSHI as well as other "life-style" series gift sets such as Essentials of Bonsai, Zen Gardens, DeTox, Reflexology and many more.