By JENNIFER HARDGROVE | ASK JENNY
November 1, 2006
Dear Jenny,
I thought your readers might be interested in sushimonsters.com, a new Seattle-based Web site. Sushi is a complicated art form that has spanned more than a hundred decades that is truly an experiential dining experience.
Irine Krass
Dear Irine,
I visited sushimonsters.com and learned the following:
The practices from which sushi originated first began in Southeast Asia, not Japan. Boiled rice was left out to ferment, causing the creation of lactic acid bacilli, then the rice was packed in with fresh fish. When combined with salt, the acid in the rice would create a chemical reaction that slowed the growth of bacteria. Pickled fish was used for long journeys and stockpiling.
Japanese are credited with the creation of sushi because in Southeast Asia the fish was eaten and the fermented rice was not. The Japanese ate both. From there, sushi was born.
In the 1600s, a physician discovered that mixing rice vinegar with sugar resulted in a rice fermentation that was nearly instant. Using this methodology, fresh finger food-type sushi was created.
A typical sushi meal of about eight or nine pieces has about 300 calories — a much healthier alternative to eating fast food, which typically has about three times the amount of calories.
Send your questions to Bremerton resident Jennifer Hardgrove at jennifer@genuinejenny.com.
