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Iconic Foods & Drinks - Sushi Today

“Born” during the periods of civil strife in feudal Japan, which are often romanticized by novels and movies of samurais, daimyos, and television series, it may surprise you that sushi came to global prominence only “recently” in the last few decades of the 20th century.

Prior to this time, sushi was largely a Japan-only type of fast food with the introduction of vinegar. Vinegar — specifically rice vinegar — transformed sushi from being a food preservation method of fish to one of preparing a fish and rice based dish.

Yes, there was a whole earlier life to sushi that many of us do not even think about, but if you're a foodie, you'll want to indulge your curiosity by looking at part 1 of our sushi series , which covers the history of sushi prior to the 20th century.

Chef Hanaya Yohei (1799-1858) was a Japanese chef based in Edo (modern day Tokyo) who is credited with having created the modern form of sushi, known as nigiri-zushi, in the 1820s. Yes, the 1820s — 200 years ago.

That being the case, why was it not until the 1960s in Los Angeles that sushi began its meteoric rise to culinary stardom? Given how much the world seems to adore sushi, it seems that its rise would have happened much, much sooner.

Well, it did have some legs in the early 20th century. “Sushi was already being served in the United States by the early 1900s, following an influx of Japanese immigration after the Meiji Restoration.” [1]

In this highly romanticized image, we see the last generation of samurai fighting for their way of life during the Meiji Restoration.

Despite this promising beginning, the so-called Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 between the Empire of Japan and the United States curbed immigration from Japan to the United States.

The Agreement, although not an official law, was a result of “anti-Japanese nativism in California” that had become prevalent in the first few years of the 20th century. [2]

Political and public sentiment in the United States against immigrants in general during this time eventually led to the Immigration Act of 1924, “a United States federal law that prevented immigration from Asia and set quotas on the number of immigrants from every country outside Latin America.” [3]

All this to say that things were not going well for sushi as a result.

It would only go from bad to worse after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a United States Navy base in Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack would pull the United States into World War II and make enemies of the Empire of Japan and the United States for the next four years.

Japanese fighter pilots on the deck of their aircraft carrier during World War II.

Having covered all of that background, we now have some context as to what was going on that was preventing sushi from taking off.

But as they say, let's turn that frown upside down.

We do know that sushi would eventually become a global phenomenon. This is, after all, sushi that we're talking about — born in the age of samurai, but still dominating in the 21st century.

Come and discover with us the amazing history behind sushi becoming famous around the world. Get ready to be surprised by some curious facts about the steps of sushi's journey to international recognition.

Welcome to Iconic Foods & Drinks: Sushi Today, presented by Cocina Digital.

We Go to America!

Early in the 20th Century, when Japanese immigrants made their way to the United States, they brought with them all of the tastes of their mother country — sushi included.

Most of the Japanese immigrants who made it to the American mainland settled in California, specifically in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“The first sushi shop in the U.S. reportedly opened in 1906 in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles.” [4]

The first sushi shop in the U.S. reportedly opened in 1906 in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Japanese immigrants opened restaurants, but these restaurants limited their clientele to only other Japanese immigrants, so the staff was only expecting some locals who would find the place and try the rare dishes.

Such practices did little to expand the client base of sushi consumers despite a wide open market as Los Angeles and San Francisco would have been.

By the 1920s, dishes based on sushi were still niche offerings even in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, where they were served only in areas inhabited by Japanese.

The shortage of fresh fish and the lack of understanding of the culture made these ways significant obstacles; however, these first attempts laid the foundation for the future spreading of sushi worldwide.

How Did Sushi Capture American Hearts?

The latter half of the 20th century marked a pivotal shift for sushi in the United States.

Japan's post-World War II economic recovery elevated its global cultural influence, and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics showcased Japanese traditions to millions. Visitors returned home with tales of sushi, sparking curiosity.

Sushi bars, like Kawafuku in Los Angeles, opened in 1966 and began drawing in Japanese expatriates. Kawafuku is credited as being the first sushi restaurant in the United States.

Sushi restaurants began springing up in Los Angeles, California in the 1960s.

Kawafuku, however, was located in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles and although it was a huge leap forward, it still didn't bring sushi to the mainstream. It catered to Japanese customers and possibly their American-born colleagues.

A key milestone was the creation of the California Roll in the late 1960s, attributed to Ichiro Mashita in Los Angeles (though Vancouver's Hidekazu Tojo also claims credit).

By using imitation crab, avocado, and rice wrapped around seaweed, the California Roll made sushi approachable for Americans wary of raw fish. This innovation broadened sushi's appeal, paving the way for its mainstream integration.

The creation of the California Roll is attributed to Ichiro Mashita in Los Angeles in the late 1960s.

By the 1970s, sushi restaurants were emerging in cities like Chicago and San Francisco, fueled by a growing fascination with Japanese culture, including anime and manga.

In the 1980s, Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles was called Sushi Row, and it was here that pioneers like Nobu Matsuhisa, a Japanese celebrity chef, established their names.

The 1980 television miniseries Shōgun, viewed by over 33 million American households, further elevated sushi's allure, although in an era well before Web analytics and user tracking on smart phones, we'll have to take the word of television executives for this one.

Nonetheless, Shōgun's portrayal of Japanese culture, cringe worthy or not, may have at least planted the seed of curiosity for diners to try sushi. Sushi in the minds of the public imagination seemed both exotic and accessible.

The novel Shōgun, written by James Clavell, was published in 1975 and became a bestseller, leading it to being made into a television miniseries in 1980.

Because fun facts are so much fun, how about back-to-back fun facts:

How Sushi Became World Famous

In parallel to its rising popularity in the United, sushi was already becoming a global phenomenon by the 1970s and 1980s.

Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world had come to adore sushi.

Sushi restaurants in Vancouver, Canada, thrived, growing from only three in 1976 to more than 600 in 2014, more than in any other major city per capita sushi establishments.

The main factor behind sushi's worldwide triumph was its ability to reshape itself according to the tastes of the places where it was introduced. Some such instances are:

• 1. Brazil: The sushi rolls were mixed with cream cheese, which made the rolls more attractive to Brazilians, who like richer flavors of food.

• 2. South Korea: The popularity of battered and deep-fried sushi rolls exploded because of the fusion of Korean and Japanese culinary techniques.

Deep fried sushi rolls have become a popular variation, especially in South Korea.

• 3. Europe: Sushi eateries in metropolitan areas like London and Paris were melding customary ways with using local products, such as smoked salmon or herbs, to create new kinds of sushi.

The B.C. Roll, with barbecued salmon, was the most innovative example of sushi being adapted to local tastes. The “B.C.” in the name stands for British Columbia, a province in western Canada.

We ❤️ Canada!

(You know you've made it big as a dish when you've been named after a province!)

In Australia, Leeton, a town in New South Wales, is the main provider of sushi rice through SunRice and has played a big part in the worldwide spread of sushi.

The popularity of conveyor belt sushi or kaitenzushi was one of the main reasons for the wider accessibility of sushi.

Yoshiaki Shiraishi (1914-2001), the Japanese restauranteur who invented kaitenzushi, saw a conveyor belt at a brewery in the early 1950s. This led him to replicating the same technology, but for plates of sushi to be served in his sushi restaurant. After years of trial and error, his idea launched with conveyor belt sushi becoming available in Osaka in 1958.

Kaitenzushi — also known as conveyor belt sushi — is a popular way to enjoy sushi in Japan and around the world.

The kaitenzushi concept became famous worldwide after being presented at the 1970 Osaka World Exposition.

During the 1980s, many new sushi restaurants opened where plates of sushi moved around on a conveyor belt, where people could enjoy cheap and interactive dining experiences.

After Shiraishi's patent expired, there was a huge increase in kaitenzushi chains, and in 2021, the market was worth 700 billion yen. Through this method, sushi became a meal for casual occasions and suitable for families all over the world.

The mounting enthusiasm for Japan's pop culture—anime, manga, and J-pop made sushi even more fashionable, notably among the young generation. By the 1990s, sushi became present in cosmopolitan cities with a variety of venues from fancy omakase restaurants to supermarket shelves.

What Role Did Norway Play in Sushi's Global Rise?

It may come as a shock that Norway played a significant role in making sushi popular all over the world.

Up until this point of the article, you have may imagined sushi as this superhero size tuna that was kicking down doors across the world and taking up residence in any and every town it wanted.

“Ain't got a sushi bar in town? Well guess what, now you do!”

However, sushi’s growth didn’t happen on sheer force alone. Just like Batman has Robin and cookies have milk, sushi got help and that help came from… Norway?

Yes, from the Norwegians. Totally obvious, right?

We ❤️ Norway!

Think of the times you've had sushi and how most likely, the sushi that you were enjoying had salmon.

In the 1980s, Japan ceased the consumption of raw salmon due to fears of parasites. So, if Japanese aren't eating sushi with salmon due to it being unsafe, how is it that the rest of us are eating sushi with salmon?

“Is there something that they aren't telling us?”

In Norway, during the 1960s and 1970s, “Norwegian entrepreneurs started experimenting with aquaculture farming. The big breakthrough was when they figured out how to raise salmon in net pens in the sea. Being farm-raised, the Atlantic salmon reported showed advantages over the Pacific salmon, such as no parasites…” [5]

Salmon farming in net pens in the sea resulted in parasite-free fish.

With Norway being so successful with the farm-raised salmon that was nicely parasite-free, guess what? Norwegian companies reached an agreement with Nichirei, a Japanese company, to export to Japan 5,000 tons of clean farmed salmon.

Gradually, salmon nigiri and rolls started to appear on menus in Japan and then the world. It became one of the milestones in the history of of sushi with which people from different parts of the world fell in love, thus spreading the popularity of this dish worldwide.

Raise your hand if you love salmon with your sushi! 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

Moreover, the global tuna trade aided sushi's growth. The high demand for bluefin tuna in Japan led to the creation of an extensive international fishing network, with fish being taken from areas such as New England and Spain to the markets in Tokyo.

These global supply chains guaranteed that sushi restaurants all over the planet had access to the freshest ingredients.

Consequently, by the 2000s, sushi was no longer a Japanese tradition but had made its way into restaurants all over the world, including fine dining and casual eateries.

How to Eat at a Sushi Restaurant (Without Feeling Awkward)

With so much history to sushi now discussed, we deserve to wind down our proverbial sushi train into a slower gear so we have time to consider some other aspects of sushi. For example: eating it.

Below mentioned are the rules to learn how to eat at a sushi restaurant:

• 🍣 You can eat nigiri using either your hands or chopsticks.

• 🍣 Just dip the fish in soy sauce, soaking the rice will cause it to break apart.

• 🍣 Avoid the heavy wasabi fix unless the chef has already loaded it up.

• 🍣 Taste pickled ginger in between meals to refresh your palate.

• 🍣 When you go to an omakase meal, simply allow the chef to order and go with the flow.

None of our suggestions on how to eat sushi include placing the sushi in front of your eyeball.

If you're wondering, are you supposed to eat sushi in one bite? Yes, that's correct. Nigiri is made with the best taste in mind. It can make two bites, that is fine, but just keep it elegant.

How Often Do Japanese People Eat Sushi?

It is hard to believe but sushi is not something that Japanese people are eating every day. How often do Japanese people eat sushi, then?

Just a few times a month. Surprising, isn't it?

Sushi remains something special, something that reminds of birthday parties, weekend trips, or some important dinner with customers. You can expect a relaxed-style plate of grilled fish, rice, miso soup and vegetables at home. The cheap and quick conveyor-belt sushi (kaitenzushi) has brought the dish down to a casual meal, but it still remains a treat.

A little bit of sake goes a long way in enhancing the sushi experience.

Conclusion

From ancient sushi history to global food fame, sushi has evolved without losing its essence. When did sushi become popular in the US? The food game in Los Angeles catalyzed all that, and when the city got the idea, the rest of the nation did as well.

But to really understand what the deal is, you need to experience it for yourself. There's a good chance that it will change your life. Have a bite of it and you will understand why sushi clicks so hard.

Understanding how to eat at a sushi restaurant, appreciating the balance of flavors, and knowing the truth about wasabi with sushi helps us see why sushi resonates so deeply.

It doesn't matter whether you're obsessed with a California Roll at some nearby local spot, or you are experiencing the expertise of omakase in Tokyo, sushi is promised to serve and amaze you!

We ❤️ sushi!