The Story of Sushi
Inside a Japanese sushi bar, a long train of plates passes before the eyes of customers. The elegant and colorful arrangements are a feast for the eyes, just as the sushi is a delight to the taste buds. While enjoying the wide variety of seafood creations, customers may wonder how this delicious treat ever came to be.
It took centuries of Japanese innovation to turn Asia’s staple foods—rice and fish—into Japan’s national cuisine. Prior to the days of refrigerators and sushi bars, fresh fish were wrapped in cooked rice and pressed between rocks in-groups to ferment them. This process preserved the fish, but required many months and made the rice wrappings inedible.
Long waits and wasted rice were unacceptable to the Japanese, who began wrapping their fish in vinegar-soaked rice. Adding vinegar improved flavor and greatly reduced the time needed for fermentation. Best of all, the new process didn’t spoil the rice wrappings, which meant they could be eaten with the fish: Sushi was born!
The most common sushi forms are: Nigiri-sushi (hand shaped sushi), Oshi-sushi (pressed sushi), Maki-sushi (rolled sushi) and Chirashi-sushi (scattered sushi). There is no set order in which the various kinds of sushi is eaten, but the nori-wrapped pieces should be eaten first, since the crispness of nori seaweed does not last long once it comes in contact with the damp rice.
Here are some simple rules for eating sushi: don't soak it in too much soy sauce. The rice falls apart and the taste of soy will dominate.
The same goes for wasabi and pickled ginger. Be very moderate, or else the taste of the topping and the rice will be concealed instead of complemented.
Always place the sushi in the mouth so that the topping encounters the tongue first.
In today's sushi-shops you can be served any drink you like with your sushi, but sake and green tea are always obligatory. Sake is served warm, and before you eat - not while and not after. The tea on the other hand is served during the whole meal. Green tea is essential for the full enjoyment of sushi, it removes aftertastes and leaves the mouth fresh for the next serving.
寿司物语
在一家日式寿司店里，一列长长的餐盘小火车从顾客眼前驶过。高雅而生动的排列方式是视觉上的一大盛宴，正如寿司赋予味蕾愉悦的口感一样。在品尝各式有创意的海鲜料理的同时，顾客们也许想知道：这样的美食是怎么来的。
日本人花了数百年才将亚洲人的主食──米饭跟鱼──改革成具有日本民族特色的美食。在冰箱与寿司店问世前，人们将新鲜的鱼肉包在煮好的米饭中，压在石头堆里，以使鱼肉发酵。这样加工保存了鱼肉的鲜度，但得花费好几个月的时间，而且使得包在外层的米饭无法食用。
由于日本人受不了长时间的等待和浪费米饭，他们开始用泡过醋的米饭包裹鱼肉。加入醋汁不仅能提味，还可以大大减少发酵所需的时间。最重要的是，新方法令包在外层的米饭不会变质，这表示米饭和鱼肉可以一起食用：寿司就这样诞生了！
最普通的寿司形式是：握寿司，压寿司，卷寿司和散寿司。没有什么固定的顺序说哪个花样的寿司应该先吃， 但用海苔包起来的寿司应该先吃，因为一旦海苔和润湿的大米相接触，海苔的海草的脆性就不能持续了。
这有一些吃寿司的简单法则：不要将它浸透在很多酱油调味汁中。 稻米会散开并沾染上酱油的味道。
这个法则同样适用于芥末和腌制的生姜。用量要十分适中，否则稻米的味道将被掩盖而不是相得益彰。
要先把寿司放在口中，这样舌头能首先尝到味道。
在今天的寿司店中你可以品尝寿司搭配任何饮料，但是清酒和绿茶是必须的。清酒性温，在你吃之前喝，而非在之后。 另一方面，绿茶可在整餐享用。 绿茶对享用寿司是十分重要的，它能去处余味并且使口气新鲜享用下一道菜。
