Believe it or not, sushi has been around for a surprisingly long period of time, although it was not in its present shapes and form back then. Sushi dates back to at least the second century A.D., beginning as a method of preserving fish in China. The whole purpose of making sushi was to perserve fish in rice as it allowed to ferment and keep the fish edible for some time. In today's culture, we would eat the rice along with the fish, but back then, the rice was thrown away and the fish was eaten separately! This fascinating method spread throughout China and had made its way to Japan by 17th century. The Japanese, however, decided to make some changes to the sushi method. Matsumoto Yoshiichi of Edo (now Tokyo) started seasoning the rice with rice wine vinegar, allowing the dish to be eaten immediately instead of waiting for months to prepare the sushi. In the early 19th century, sushi slowly evolved into a kind of instant snack, but it became too popular to be a quick bite. After World War Two, the sushi stalls were shut down and moved indoors, to more sanitary conditions. Years later, sushi changed from fast food to a true dining experience, served in a more formal restaurants. Sushi, which has been just a perserving method to perserve fish has now evolved to another level beyond the traditional Japanese methods, attracting attention from all over the world! Now, western influences have given rise to new styles of sushi, such as California rolls and many elaborate fusions. Isn't it great that for something that started so small has taken the world by storm?
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