When: June 18
Sushi's journey from a Japanese fermented fish preservation technique to the global restaurant phenomenon it is today took about 1,300 years. The sushi Americans eat is a very recent adaptation — and understanding the original form reveals how dramatically the concept can be interpreted.
Sushi traveled 6,000 miles and transformed entirely — and the story of how it got here is better than the California Roll.
The word "sushi" refers to the rice, not the fish. The vinegared rice is the constant; the toppings change. This is the most commonly misunderstood fact about sushi, and it matters because it opens up the full picture of what sushi actually is — and how far it has traveled from where it started. The original form bears no resemblance to what you order today. Narezushi, the oldest surviving form (still made in Japan), involves packing fish in salted rice for months or years of fermentation. The rice was historically discarded and only the fermented fish eaten — a preservation technique, not a dining experience. The form appears in Chinese records around the 4th century CE and spread to Japan, where it was gradually adapted toward something faster. The intermediate form — hayazushi — reduced fermentation time from years to weeks and began incorporating the rice. The final transformation came in Edo (now Tokyo) around 1820–1830. Hanaya Yohei, a chef in early 19th century Edo, is credited...