Island Sushi or shima sushi (shimazushi) is a type of sushi local to the Hachijyo island located about 150 miles south of Tokyo (see map below). This is a very close style to the Edo style sushi and is strongly influenced by it. The only difference is that they immerse all their sliced fish in soy sauce, which is sometimes infused with green chili peppers. Also hot mustard is used as a condiment instead of wasabi, which dates back to a custom when wasabi was unavailable to the island in the old days. Shimazushi is also nicknamed bekko sushi or amber sushi, for the soy sauce makes the fish a shiny brown color. (Image is red snapper sushi immersed in soy sauce)
[Via trektrak]
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Sushi was not always what it seems like today. The word sushi originally means fermented fish, and has its roots in Southeast Asia. According to the history of sushi, this type of sushi is first seen in Japanese scriptures in the 7th century. Later on, the fish were stuffed with rice before they were fermented, and this is called the nare sushi and is the earliest form of sushi in Japan. Nare Sushi took a couple months to prepare, and eventually becomes consumed before the fermentation process is complete. This is called the nama nare sushi or "raw" nare sushi (left image). This made the rice, which acquires a sour taste from the fermentation process edible since longer fermentation dissolved it. It is not until the 19th century when the Edo style sushi, or the sushi commonly known today was invented. The sour rice was mimicked by mixing fresh rice vinegar to make sushi rice, and fresh raw ingredients were used instead.
[Via Issinmaru]
Not quite Portuguese, but the Osaka style sushi’s boxed mackerel is named after the Potuguese word “bateria”, or small boat. The name evolved into the word battera, and is used commonly in Japan today. The word battera was derived by an Osaka sushi restaurant around 1893 to describe a gizzard shad sushi, which looked like a small boat, and eventually became a word just for boxed cured mackerel.
The battera uses one fillet of a mackerel and is placed inside a mold (sushi box, or hakozushigata) filled with sushi rice. A piece of vinegared kelp is placed on top, and pressed with the lid of the sushi box. They are cut in individual pieces and result in rectangular boxes.
[Via Yokatokoro]
Keiji which translates to “infant salmon” is a delicacy in Japan. Only one or two keiji are found in 10,000 caught salmon (not an exaggeration). Salmon grow up in the ocean until they are fully matured and they are caught on their way back to the rivers to mate. In rare instances, young and sexually underdeveloped salmon from the ocean will follow the adults back to the rivers. These keiji salmon are very high in fat content but with a lighter texture compared to fat in adult salmon. The oils of the keiji salmon are known to be sweeter, and do not have the slightest fishy scent.
A normal salmon consists of 2~15% fat where a keiji have 20~30% all around which is similar to tuna belly (toro). Though toro is the king of all sushi ingredients, it can be found in all blue fin tuna in small amounts and it is frequently available at sushi restaurants, although at high prices. On the other hand, the scarcity and unpredictable nature of keiji is a delicacy that money can’t always buy.
[Via Sanriku Toritate Fish Market]
