Umami

6 minute read  ·  Food History  ·  Japanese Cuisine

Few foods have travelled as far — in geography, in time, and in meaning — as sushi. What began as a practical method of preserving fish in ancient Southeast Asia has become one of the most recognised and beloved culinary traditions on earth. Here is the story of how it happened.

The Origins: Narezushi

The story of sushi begins not in Japan, but across Southeast Asia, somewhere between the 4th and 5th centuries. The earliest form — known as narezushi — was not really about the fish at all. It was about preservation.

How it worked

The method was simple: fish was salted heavily and packed in fermented rice. Over months, the rice fermented and created lactic acid, which preserved the fish. When the fish was ready to eat, the rice was discarded entirely. The result was intensely flavoured — pungent, sour, and deeply savoury — bearing almost no resemblance to what we eat today.

This technique made its way to Japan, where it was adapted and refined over centuries. By the Heian period (794–1185), narezushi had become an important part of Japanese aristocratic cuisine, often offered as tribute to the imperial court.

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The Edo Era: Nigiri Is Born

The sushi we recognise today — a neat parcel of vinegared rice topped with a slice of fresh fish — is a relatively recent invention. It emerged in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) in the early 19th century, and its creation is often attributed to a chef named Hanaya Yohei.

Yohei’s revolution

Yohei’s innovation was radical for its time. Rather than fermenting fish for months, he used fresh fish from Tokyo Bay, seasoned with rice wine vinegar, and served it immediately. He called it Edomae sushi — sushi in the style of Edo. Customers could eat it standing at a street stall, which suited the fast-paced rhythms of the growing city perfectly.

The fish of Tokyo Bay — tuna, sea bream, flounder, eel, and shrimp — became the foundation of a new culinary vocabulary. Each type of fish required its own preparation: some were marinated in soy sauce, some lightly cured, others brushed with sweet tare. The craft of the sushi chef was born.

Rather than fermenting fish for months, he used fresh fish from Tokyo Bay and served it immediately. Fast, vivid, alive. A city found its food.

The birth of Edomae sushi, early 19th century

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The 20th Century: Refrigeration and the California Roll

Sushi leaves Tokyo

For much of its history, sushi remained a local Tokyo tradition. The 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake changed that. With Tokyo devastated, thousands of skilled sushi chefs relocated across Japan, spreading Edomae techniques to cities and towns that had never tasted them before.

The arrival of refrigeration in the mid-20th century was equally transformative. Fresh fish could now travel. Quality could be preserved. The constraints of geography began to loosen.

The California Roll

Sushi reached the United States in the 1960s, first through Japanese immigrant communities in Los Angeles. Its westward journey produced one of food history’s great innovations: the California roll.

Created in the early 1970s, the California roll solved a supply problem elegantly: avocado replaced the fatty tuna that was difficult to source locally, and cucumber added crunch. Crucially, the rice was rolled on the outside — hiding the seaweed, which many American diners found off-putting. It was designed for palates unfamiliar with raw fish. It worked spectacularly.

A generation of diners learned to love sushi through it. The California roll was the gateway that made the rest of the menu possible.

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Sushi Today: A Global Language

Today, sushi is everywhere. From Tokyo’s Tsukiji outer market to Michelin-starred omakase counters in New York, Paris, and Sydney; from supermarket ready-made rolls to conveyor belt kaiten restaurants, sushi has become one of the most versatile and democratic cuisines on earth.

The philosophy that never changed

Yet at its finest, sushi remains an exercise in extraordinary restraint. The best sushi chefs spend years — sometimes decades — perfecting their rice: the ratio of vinegar, the temperature, the pressure of the hand. The fish must speak for itself. Nothing is hidden. There is nowhere for imprecision to hide.

The fish must speak for itself. Nothing is hidden. There is nowhere for imprecision to hide.

On the philosophy of sushi

That philosophy — of letting quality ingredients shine through simplicity — is what connects a street stall in 19th century Edo to a chef’s counter in Wellington today. The rice has changed. The fish has changed. The world has changed. But the intention remains the same.

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