In Japan, sushi is an everyday food. It began as a way of preserving fish and grew in popularity to become the nation's most famous food, not only in sushi bars , but also at home where it is prepared and eaten by the whole family. A japanese ambassador once joked that sushi had done as much to raise the profile of Japan as the country's official efforts.
No one knowns exactly when sushi was invented, but fish was being pickled with rice in Southeast Asia as early as the 5th century BC, Some say that sushi came to Japan with the introduction rice cultivation in the 4th century BC, while others believe that the practice was brought back by Buddhist priests returning from China after their training in the 7th century AD. The two chinese characters for sushi, meaning 'preserved fish'and 'fish fermented in rice and salt', first appeared in Japan at the beginning of the 8th century AD.
Fish preserved in rice was sent to the land-bound capital of Kyoto as a form of tax payment. This early from of sushi nare zushi, made from crap and rice packed into layers and fermented for up to a year, can still be found today.Something of an acquired taste, it is best described as a mixture of very mature Camembert cheese and Thai fish sauce.
Changes in culinary culture
By the middle of the 15th century , rice was being boiled rather than steamed and lunch had been introduced. The Japanse were now eating three meals a day. Then, at the beginning of the 17th century , the new government amoved from the ancient imperials capital city of Kyoto to Edo(now Tokyo). With the establishment of a powerful political and social structure cam increased food production and more rice was grown. the increased rice production lead to the wider use of other rice products such as rice vinegar. Instead of letting rice ferment naturally and produce lactic acid, rice vinegar was added to it, which reduced the time it took to prepare sushi from several days to just a few hours. However, sushi was still pressed in a box and the fish was marinated and boiled or grilled, no eaten raw.
Nigiri-the first fast food
Yohei Hanaya, who set up a sushi stall in Edo in the early 1800s , is widely credited withe being the inventor of the nigiri zushi, or hand-formed sushi, that we known today. He was the first chef to squeeze vinegared rice into a ball and top it with a slice raw fish. Although the addition of rice vinegar had reduced preparation time, sushi chefs still made traditional pressed sushi, which took some time to prepare. the residents of Edowere notoriously impatient, so Yohei's newly invented nigiri zushi, which took ony a few minutes to prepare, soon caught on.
World War Two further boosted the popularity of nigiri zushi. Food rationing prevented sushi shops from operating normally. When the Allied Occupation authorities issued a directive allowing the exchanges fo one cup of rice for 10 pieces of nigiri zushi and a sushi roll, they did not include any other type of sushi. To keep his shop open, the sushi chef was forced to make hand-formed sushi.
Sushi stalls disappear
It was at about this time that sushi stalls began to disappear completely. Shops served mainly take-away customers during the day while stalls were familiar features on Tokyo street corners in the evening. They were hauled into their allotted place where they were often strategically positioned to catch hungry men on their way back from public bath houses. Customers shared communal bowls of pickled ginger and soy sauce and wiped their hands on a curtain hung behind them. Asure sign of a good sushi stall was filthy curtain as this showed that more hungry dinners hand eaten there.
Sushi today
Sushi has come a long way since its origin as a means preserving fish. Today it is wining recognition as the world's healthiest fast food. Although it's happy to see sushi gaining in popularity, it is filled with mixture of delight and sadness to them in supermarket-refrigerated and prepared by machines in factories , it is a far cary from what sushi is meant to be. 
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