Sushi is a delicacy has been eaten for centuries in Japan. While foodies around the world have tried or at least heard of sushi before, not all know how there is a rich history and culture behind this dish. When did Japanese people start eating sushi? Why is sushi made with raw fish, rice, and vinegar? Are there “proper” ways to eat sushi? Read on to find out. Let us go back to the 17th century, when nigirizushi (hand-pressed sushi) was first made.  Back in those days, the capital of Japan was Edo, located in current-day Tokyo. (For this reason, in Japan we refer to this era as the Edo period.) During the Edo period, sushi was a trendy meal for so-called blue-collar workers. There were many sushi stands on the streets of Edo so that workers could finish lunch and supper as quickly as possible and get back to work. In other words, sushi was a typical fast food meal in Japan. Nowadays you can still find many cheap sushi restaurants, but sushi has also evolved into a delicacy that has a rich culture associated with it.

Try some high-quality sushi at distinguished restaurants like Sushi Ginza Tenkawa. Back in the 17th century when there were no refrigerators or freezers, there were not enough ways to preserve food. Despite these circumstances, sushi chefs were smart enough to find that using wasabi, ginger pickles, and rice mixed with vinegar can help raw fish from going bad quickly. Although modern technology allows us to keep fish fresh for a longer time, sushi still remains in Japanese food culture as a delicious way to appreciate the plentiful seafood available in Japan.sushi kielce online Sushi culture has evolved over the years, and these days there are many restaurants that even offer wine with their sushi. best sushi london englandWhy not try out this combination at Sushi Karaku? how to eat sushi in tokyo

You might be pleasantly surprised. As you may guess from its origins in the Edo period, back in the day, sushi was not something you had to learn rules to eat. Even to this day, unlike fancy French or Italian meals, picking up sushi with your hands is a proper way to enjoy it. Nowadays in Japan many people tend to use chopsticks to keep their hands clean, but some still prefer to eat sushi the traditional way.order sushi online cape town The most important thing is to focus on enjoying the dish than getting too nervous about eating elegantly! The important thing to keep in mind is to enjoy the food in front of you without worrying too much about how you’re supposed to eat it. Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere while savoring toro sushi at Irifunefunesushi. The practical reason for not dipping the rice portion of sushi in soy sauce is because the sushi becomes fragile and the rice is more likely to fall apart before reaching your mouth.

The rice will also soak up too much soy sauce and cover the flavor of the fish topping. When you dip the sushi into soy sauce, you should flip it over so that the fish touches the soy sauce. (Just be careful not to let the fish fall off from the rice — that is an even bigger taboo.) But when you have ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin) or other rolled sushi, you may find it difficult to flip the sushi over. In that case, you can use the pickled ginger on the side. Just take a piece of ginger, dip it in soy sauce, and use it to brush the soy sauce onto the top of the sushi. You may not see people do this often, but this is a proper, elegant way. Show off your skills while devouring some of the best sushi in Tokyo at Shirokane Taira. Learn the different sushi names here and explore the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo. For more amazing restaurants in Japan, visit Pocket Concierge!More in this Issue A Bear Named Grace | The John Colter | More on Grow Yourself

Shame and the Buck | Living with Other People | The Modern Toolkit | The Prophecy All Around YouIssue: 25 Understanding Your Story - An Interview with Dan AllenderIssue: 07 Why Sex Scares MeIssue: 14 Finding Your MissionIssue: 05 A Story Worth LivingIssue: 2417 Sushi Restaurants to Try in NYC New York's sushi scene has come a long way over the last two decades — so much so that you can find good sashimi and nigiri in nearly every neighborhood. Newcomers like Los Angeles-import Sushi Zo bring even more quality cuts to the city, while several restaurants that have been around for more than two decades, like Sushi Yasuda, continue to keep offering great experiences despite turnover and/or expansion. Not all sushi restaurants are created equal. With that in mind, here's a list of the sushi houses that are a cut above the rest. Note: Restaurants are listed based on geography, starting with lower Manhattan and then down through Brooklyn. 1 Ichimura at Brushstroke

The restaurant from chef Eiji Ichimura opened originally as a counter at chef David Bouley’s Brushstroke in 2012. After a three star review from the Times and two stars from the Michelin Guide, Ichimura became its own restaurant, and it may move to a different space in the near future. Icihimura is one of the city’s most expensive omakases at $195 before wine pairings. But the chef’s traditional edomae style sushi and the intimacy of the space make it one of the city's most sought-out reservations. The sushi speakeasy beneath Japanese restaurant Daruma-ya has long been one of Tribeca’s worst kept secrets. In addition to offering great sushi, Azabu is known to deliver in terms of service and setting. The subterranean space is intimate, and the staff is committed to the mission of "Omotenashi — selfless service with a spirit of warmth and respect." The omakase itself skews traditional, using fish from Japan that arrives daily. Sushi counter meals start at $100, and dining table omakases start at $120.

Tomoe’s been around for years, and it could be mistaken for just another average neighborhood sushi restaurant, were it not for its long lines. Ignore the portion of the menu with cooked Japanese dishes and stick with the sushi. A box with ten pieces of sashimi, five pieces of nigiri, and half of a tuna roll will set you back $35 — making it one of the best sushi values in town. Restaurateur Alessandro Borgognone took a huge departure from his past projects by opening Nakazawa in 2013— but his first sushi establishment immediately became one of the city’s buzziest restaurants because of its chef, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" apprentice Daisuke Nakazawa. He appeared in the popular documentary about the obsessive sushi chef, and though the Michelin Guide ignored the restaurant, he earned four stars from the Times and three from Eater’s Ryan Sutton. It’s still one of the toughest reservations to get in town. The upscale omakase ranked as one of the best sushi restaurants in Los Angeles for years before planting in Greenwich Village in 2015.

Chef Masashi Ito, who runs the kitchen here in New York, serves a mostly traditional Japanese sushi menu — though he calls it "Zo"-style, or unique from any other type. The restaurant is known to drop in rare or less prominent cuts of fish during a meal. As such, expect to pay for it. An omakase meal, the only option at Zo, costs around $150. Norihiro Ishizuka, the charming chef at this quiet restaurant, cuts the fish in larger pieces than is commonly found in traditional sushi. Times Hungry City critic Ligaya Mishan called him the Tony Bennett of sushi chefs, "a crooner working the crowd with a genial smile and a generous hand." An omakase costs under $100, making it among the better deals in the city. Masa and Neta alums Jimmy Lau and Nick Kim opened their small Union Square sushi bar in 2014, and it quickly became known as one of the city’s best sushi tasting menus. Though the chefs come from more traditional outfits, Shuko’s daily changing options skew more toward the deliciously aberrational.

Options have included a black truffle wrapped sushi roll and a bowl of toro topped with uni and caviar. Though the Michelin Guide snubbed the restaurant, Eater critic Ryan Sutton called it one of the city’s most exciting places to eat sushi, and the Times’ Pete Wells found it to be intense, lively, and imbued with "sophisticated cool." Chef Yoshihiko Kousaka spent a decade at Michelin-starred restaurant Jewel Bako before opening Kosaka in 2015. The restaurant offers both a sushi-only omakase for $145 and a broader chef's tasting menu for $175, which features both sushi and seasonal dishes from chef Masonobu Matsushiro, an alum of Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Cagen. It’s a high end operation, but diners can also order a la carte in the dining room, including a cheaper, smaller "omakase lite." The restaurant, which opened in 2009, is one of New York’s most acclaimed sushi houses. And with an omakase sushi bar, a dining room, and lunch service, the serene restaurant remains a stellar option for an upscale meal.

All hot dishes use seasonal ingredients from the restaurant’s neighbor, the Union Square Greenmarket. For years, chef Masato "Masa" Shimizu ran the sushi bar, and in 2015, longtime 15 East chef Noriyuki Takahashi, who trained at popular Japanese sushi restaurant Tsukiji SushiSay, replaced him as the top dog in the kitchen. Chef and owner Hideo Kuribara originally opened Ushiwakamaru in 1992 in New Jersey before moving to Manhattan in 2003 — building a reputation for being a solid place to eat sushi without breaking bank. The restaurant closed on Houston due to a rent hike but reopened shortly after in Chelsea, with more seats and an omakase that cracks $100. It's one of the old favorites among sushi lovers in the city. Yasuda opened in 1999 and stood out in the dining scene for namesake chef Naomichi Yasuda’s attention to detail, traditional ethos, and habit of tailoring each meal to the diner based on the person, including details like the shape of the diner’s mouth.

He left in 2011, but his trainees and philosophy behind sushi remains present at the restaurant. Quality hasn’t dipped, and it still frequently ranks as one of the city’s best restaurants, sushi or not. Sushi Seki Hell's Kitchen Opened in 2002, the restaurant quickly became a late night destination for other top names in the industry, like Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Seki, who previously worked at the more upscale Sushi of Gari, doesn’t abide by traditional sushi rules; don’t be surprised to see fish topped with ingredients like jalapeño that aren’t found at more purist spots. The popularity of the original Upper East Side location spawned two other outposts — one in Chelsea and one in Hell's Kitchen. The stripped down UES sushi restaurant from cult favorite chef Toshio Oguma, a veteran of Morimoto, offers one of the city’s more affordable omakases, with the market price typically landing under $100. (In winter 2015, it ranged from $75 to $80.)

Oguma prides himself in serving classical sushi with pared down ingredients. The restaurant only has three seatings per night, and each chef only serves four people at a time. Chef Masatoshi "Gari" Sugio opened the original Upper East side location in 1997 and made a name for himself on the scene by serving experimental sushi. He employs tactics and ingredients not found in traditional houses, including signatures like a fluke topped with sweet onion sauce, quail egg, and white truffle oil; or a scallop with proscuitto and sundried tomato sauce. Sugio, whose flagship restaurant has a Michelin star, was one of the first big avant garde sushi chefs in New York. He now has three other locations in NYC, and one in LA. The unassuming Upper West Side restaurant looks like it could be like any other underwhelming neighborhood sushi restaurant, but the chefs here have a reputation for slicing high quality fish. Local residents already know this, so expect a wait for a table. Once you sit down though, food will come out quickly.