Since 18 June marks International Sushi Day, and sushi is no stranger to Egypt, it is timely to introduce this Japanese dish that has travelled almost 10 thousand kilometers from its home to Egypt only to become on of the most popular dishes in the country. Contrary to the popular belief that sushi originated in Japan, the earliest form of sushi was known as “narezushi” and is said to have been created in Southeast Asia in the second century somewhere around the Mekong River, before migrating to Japan in the eighth century. It used to come in the form of fermented fish wrapped in sour rice. The literal definition of sushi is “tasting sour”. The dish is served as a way to preserve fish and make it last longer. Interestingly, in contrast to the modern way of eating sushi, the fermented rice used simply to serve the preservation process before it was pealed off so that people could consume the fish. Later, vinegar was introduced into the process, before replacing fermentation. Contemporary sushi as we now know it was first prepared by a Japanese man named Hanaya Yohei in what…
