{"id":3650,"date":"2017-09-19T17:52:13","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T17:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bentocafesushi.com\/?p=3650"},"modified":"2023-04-17T18:23:47","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T18:23:47","slug":"15-fun-facts-sushi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eatatbento.com\/2017\/09\/15-fun-facts-sushi\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Fun Facts About Sushi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You can find it just about anywhere: conveyor belts, the local grocery store, food courts, or even the subway stations in Japan. No matter where you\u2019re at, we are flooded with sushi options these days. It comes to no surprise then that sushi restaurants in the United States alone bring in about $2 billion in annual revenue, reports IBISWorld<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the options abound, how much do we really know about this beloved delicacy that\u2019s evolved and been made more accessible to just about everyone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post we put together a list of things we found interesting about sushi that you may or may not have already known, in hopes of deepening your understanding of the art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Sushi is swimming in health benefits.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sushi is an awesome source<\/a> of omega-3 fatty acids (heart-healthy fat). Nori (seaweed) provides iodine (boosts thyroid health), and is a good source of vitamin A \u2013 vital to a healthy immune system and skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. An earthquake in 1923, brought sushi (mainly a street food in Japan), to brick-and-mortars.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The earthquake had quite the lasting effect as it caused real estate prices to decline making purchasing storefronts more possible for sushi chefs, according to a Thrillist article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While sushi is regarded as a sometimes luxury menu item, it wasn\u2019t always the case. It was once a street food treated the same way we eat hot dogs or tacos, and after the earthquake, more sushi restaurants were appearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Chopsticks OR Hands are okay to eat sushi with.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, sushi is eaten with hands. \u201cThere is beauty in the process of the sushi experience where it\u2019s made by hands, served by hands, and eaten by hands, so go ahead and use your hands,\u201d says renowned sushi Chef Masaharu Morimoto in an interview<\/a> with The Feast<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morimoto personally prefers chopsticks for sashimi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Sushi may not have originated in Japan.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Japan widely gets recognition for creating sushi the way we see it today, we have Southeast Asia to thank for inspiring modern sushi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that \u201cnarezushi\u201d (fermented fish wrapped in sour rice) emerged somewhere along the Mekong River before it reached China and eventually Japan, reports Trip Savvy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sushi we\u2019re more familiar with today comes from Hanaya Yohei in Japan during the end of the Edo period around the mid 1800s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. There are six types of sushi.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to authority figure in Japanese cuisine, Hiroko Shimbo<\/a>, says sushi falls within one of the following types<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n