The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket
By: Corson, Trevor
The story starts in medieval Japan with the development of proto sushi which is whole fish pressed on top of rice in a specially designed weighted box through the development of sushi rice and finally to how sushi developed in Japan after World War II. Once you have this background the story moves to the United States. The author delves into how sushi became an American food item now sold in grocery stores across the country. Corson shows that it was the development of sushi schools in California that made it possible for sushi chiefs to be trained more quickly than in Japan. These schools also lead to sushi innovations that would eventually travel back to Japan—the inside out roll being a classic example. Truly an American tale of taking something very foreign and making it American.
Reviewer: Susan Ardis
