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Sushi is cold, cooked rice pressed into small cakes seasoned with vinegar.

The "su" in the name is the Japanese name for "vinegar."

It is either rolled up in seaweed or in very thin slices of fish, usually with a filling called "gu" in the middle, or formed into cakes, and garnished on top with something called "tane" or "dane."

Sushi actually refers to the seasoned rice; the pieces of fish are "sashimi." The sushi rice is "sushi meshi." The fish is usually, but not always, raw.

A Sushi chef is called a "shokunin."

There are two main styles of Sushi, Tokyo and Osaka.

Osaka-style is called Oshizushi. See separate entry.

Tokyo-syle is called Nirgiri Sushi (aka Edo Style.) See separate entry.

In Japan, Sushi is not normally made in homes. It is something you go out for.

History
Sushi evolved from a way of preserving cleaned, raw, salted fish between rice, weighted down with a heavy stone. It would preserve the fish up to a few years. The rice would help the fermentation of the fish, and be thrown away when the fish was eaten.

Then, in the 1400 and 1500s, the preserving time was reduced to a month, and then a few days, and both fish and rice were eaten, with both having a slightly sour taste. This was called nama-nare or han-nare.

Some attribute today's sushi to a doctor named Matsumoto Yoshichi in the mid 1600s. He hit upon the idea of imitating the sour taste of the fermented rice, by adding a small amount of vinegar, to reduce the amount of maturing time needed.

In 1824, a food stall vendor named Hanaya Yohei started serving raw, sliced, fresh fish on small cakes of the vinegar-flavoured rice. His stall was in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo.

Sushi became popular in Tokyo in the 1800s as a fast street food sold from small food booths.

Literature & Lore
"In Mexico we have a word for sushi -- bait."

-- Jose Simon

Language Notes
Sushi is pronounced "sushi" in Japanese. But when it's tacked onto the end of a preceding word, the "s" changes to "z" to make the pronunciation (in Japanese) easier.

Acknowlegements

Also called:

Other entries for:

Sushi
Buri Toro, Chirashi Sushi, Chu–Toro, Ebi, Gunkan Maki Sushi, Hikari Mono Sushi, Inari Sushi, Iwakuni Sushi, Kani Nigiri Sushi, Maki Sushi, Nare Sushi, Nigiri Sushi, Nimono Sushi, O–Toro, Oshizushi, Shiromi Sushi, Sushi Meshi, Tamago Nigiri Sushi, Temaki Sushi, Ume Shiso Maki, Ura Maki Sushi

Other entries for:

Savoury Dishes
Alfredo Sauce, Béaltaine Caudle, Boiled Dinners, Bouchées à la Bénédictine, Bouchées à la Périgourdine, Chop Suey, Crappit Heids, Curry, Darioles, Favetta, Fondue, French Fries, Koromo, Pancakes, Pies & Tarts, Pizza, Porridge, Relish Trays, Sandwiches, Soups, Spring Rolls, Steak Tartare, Tenkas, Teriyaki, Timbales, TV Dinners, Yakimono, Zakuska

Other entries for: Dishes

Desserts, Dumplings, Salads