Introduction
The geishas, the ninja, the atomic bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and more recently 'drifting' seem to be cultural highlights (if I can use such a word) that Japan is known for, in the world. There's no doubt that with their strong emphasis on tradition and respect for one another along with a healthy acceptance of foreign values has made it a successful country.
From a personal standpoint, watching 'The Last Samurai' left me fascinated about 'the code of the samurai' which is so intertwined with the Japanese way of life, and a large reason for their success. Not only does this kind of upbringing also create respect for Oriental wisdom but also for their life expectancy rate which is at 81 years. Perhaps it is an indicator by which one can tell that the food is not too bad either.
Apart from rice (gohan), noodles (men-rui) and bread (pan), Japan is well-known for sushi…
Sushi and its Types
The sushi (which means 'it's sour') that you get today, in actuality, bears no resemblance to its most traditional form called 'Narezushi', that took six months to prepare while also lasting for another six months when completed.
Sushi contains ingredients such as cooked vinegar rice that is served using toppings of seafood. With the variety of seafood out there, several regions in Japan have their own style of sushi.
One of the most popular forms of sushi that you get today was invented by Hanaya Yohei, known as 'Nigirizushi', which can be prepared within seconds without the need for fermentation so that one could eat it like a fast food. Seafood used in this preparation can be anything from squid, the octopus to the sea urchin. However, fish is mostly used as the popular ingredient along with rice.
However, with sushi finding prominence in the United States, it has undergone a metamorphosis of sorts (in a similar fashion to the Italian pizza), and is prepared using rolls in its current form such as the Avocado Roll, California Roll, Kappa Maki, Spicy Tuna Roll, Eel and Avocado Roll and so on and so forth.
Nutrition and Calories
Since rice and seafood are the main ingredients in the Japanese version, its nutrition is low in fat and high in carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and most importantly, high in protein.
The same cannot be said for the rolls prepared in the United States as some of the toppings used such as avocado, mayonnaise and cream cheese tend to pile up the calories per roll.
So, the amount of calories for some of these rolls are anywhere between 130 [Kappa Maki - cucumber roll] to 500 calories [the Shrimp Tempura Roll] with the fat content ranging from nothing to 21 g. Although, most of them cannot be called a 'fattening' food, the figures for its traditional counterpart Nigirizushi, range anywhere between 40 to 65 calories per meal. Quite a difference… isn't it?
These figures though are approximate estimates as each sushi chef adds their own ingredients which can either raise or drop the number of calories per roll/ serving.
However, in comparison to other foods, you can say that sushi is relatively healthy enough to be considered a diet food, as long as you look at the calorie content at the restaurant and pick your meal accordingly.
In Closing
If anything, perhaps it's wrong for me to conjure up images of Gollum chowing down on raw fish in 'The Lord of the Rings' that made my stomach turn, when I think of sushi. Thankfully though, the Japanese who are definitely old school are anything but barbaric! After all, when the Gandhi was asked what he thought of western civilization, he promptly replied that it would be a 'good idea'…
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