Does sushi means raw fish? That is a big mistake. Look up the dictionary. Raw fish in Japanese is sashimi, NOT sushi. The original meaning of the word sushi was sour. It refers to a method used for preserving fish which using rice to cover the fish, seasoned with salt and rice wine vinegar.
The main ingredient is fish? Guess again. The main ingredient used to make sushi is sticky rice, which ironically was discarded at first as the side effect of the fermentation itself.
You can find numerous sushi varieties, and you will not find a single slice of raw fish in it, or even the fish itself. Sushi also using other seafood as topping, or neta in Japanese, such as shellfish, eel, prawn, octopus, squid, crab and even caviar. Nowadays many non sea products are also used, in example egg, turkey and beef. There are even some varieties using fruits and vegetables such as cucumber, avocado, apple and even cheese!!
Where It Came
Once again, sushi was NOT originated from Japan. The preserving method mentioned earlier was originated from mountain areas in South East Asia, brought by merchants from China estimated in the seventh century. Then it was developed into sushi we know today in Edo period, which combining rice with various toppings or neta.
Sushi Nutrition Facts
Sushi is low fat and a high nutrition food. A common set consist of seven to nine pieces contains approximately 300 to 450 calories. The fish used in sushi supplies protein and would be a great supply of omega 3. Vegetables are well known as great source of vitamins. Seaweed is loaded with iodine. And rice itself act as the source of complex carbohydrates.
Side Elements of Sushi:
Soy sauce is used to dip the sushi and may also combine with wasabi, made from traditional Japanese horseradish. Another important side ingredient of sushi is pickled ginger, or as the Japanese called gari served with sushi. This pickled ginger is used to neutralize the tongue if eating different type of sushi.