Flights in the UK have been grounded on and off by the massive volcanic eruptions in Iceland and the effects of the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud can be felt even further afield.
The grounded flights have cause chaos for fish traders and sushi restaurants in Japan as it has affected imports of prized Norwegian salmon; a delicacy to the Japanese sushi lover.
Seafood traders on markets like Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market have been forced to turn to places as far flung as New Zealand to source stocks of Pacific salmon even though many clients prefer the Atlantic salmon’s delicate texture and mild taste.
Usually, 90 per cent of Japan’s Atlantic salmon comes from Norway by air. Fresh salmon is far more popular and valuable than frozen produce which is why air travel is essential. As many flights have been unable to get through because of the volcanic ash cloud, salmon stocks are low which has cost implications for the wholesale traders.
Norwegian salmon is served raw for sushi and sashimi in some of the country’s top restaurants and the roe is used for a variety of sushi such as gunkanmaki and temaki rolls and it is also a regular topping on delicious nigiri. It is also sometimes grilled in steaks and served as a standalone main dish.
In February, Japan imported 1,400 tonnes of Atlantic salmon from Norway compared with 150 tonnes from the rest of the world which shows how popular it is. This amount of imported salmon is worth one billion yen or more than £700,000. One major importer in Tokyo told American journalists that, when the volcano first erupted, his company lost 30 million yen (roughly £220,000), in days which is a third of its monthly turnover.
Japan has had to look to New Zealand, Australia and Chile to meet demand with Pacific salmon, even though this is far less popular with consumers and the top sushi chefs. Luckily, here in the UK we have easy access to this fish which is so prized in Japan and the same goes in Iceland itself which is famed for its seafood and has recently seen a surge in the number of sushi restaurants. Iceland has finally caught on to what the Japanese has known for years about the quality of Northern European fish and sushi is now one of the most popular foreign cuisines in the capital Reykjavik.
So it is not just the UK and Europe that continues to be frustrated by the Icelandic volcano as Japanese sushi lovers are also having to compromise. While we are lucky to have the freshest Atlantic salmon on our doorstep and are struggling to leave the country by plane, it may be the ideal time to call up some friends and serve up some delicious sushi and sashimi while we wait for nature to take its course.
“Green Tea may offer some protection against Lung Cancer” So say Taiwanese Cancer experts who study the disease at a Univercity in Taiwan.
Rates of Cancer are much lower in Asia than other parts of the world and green tea or sencha, some people think is one factor. Among smokers, those who didn’t drink green tea at all were 12 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who drunk at least one cup of green tea a day.
For More info see the full article on the bbc site here
Here’s the first video in my cooking with Sushi Stu series. This one is all about how to make Onigiri sushi. It’s so easy with just a few ingredients and the right tools, take a look…
I love eating sushi but even I was a bit shocked when I read about the sushi eating world record.
A professional eater (yes that’s right it is an actual career) known as Tim ‘Eater X’ Janus guzzled down 141 pieces of sushi in six minutes at the press launch of the Major League Eating video game.
I have tried to imagine what all that sushi would look like in a pile but it makes me a bit scared. Eater X chomped his way through nigiri rolls made of rice and avocado (no wasabi though, what a wimp) and is believed to have a stomach that expands to four times larger than normal when he eats.
The world champion chomper holds the record for eating a number of foods in record time including 10.5 pounds of ramen noodles using chopsticks in a staggering eight minutes.
This got me thinking about other sushi records and if there were any that I could have a go at. Sadly, a bit of research into the subject has shown I am not in the same league as most sushi fanatics.
The biggest sushi roll ever was 305 m long (1,001 feet) made with 240 kg of big eye tuna, 490 kg of sushi rice, 2,020 sheets of nori seaweed and took an unbelieveable 1,300 people to make.
An even madder record was broken just this year in Mumbai, India – the world’s biggest sushi mosaic which was 163 square feet. Bizarrely, the previous record was held by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in Warsaw, Poland.
All this research made me very hungry and, while I’m sure I have the skills to make world record sushi, I think I will stick to eating it – normal size, normal portions.
As the England Cricket Team square up against the Aussies in the Ashes, they could follow the lead of the World Cup winning Women’s team.
The ladies blasted past New Zealand in the finals in Australia in March and Caroline Atkins and spin bowler Laura Marsh were photographed tucking into their “new favourite food” – sushi.
The ladies beat the Kiwis again in June to win the World Twenty20 championships and currently hold the women’s Ashes – a pretty strong thumbs up for a healthy, high energy and low fat diet.
The men’s team are no strangers to the delights of Japanese food either. Michael Vaughan has recently retired from international cricket after an impressive career as both an England Captain and, at one stage, the world’s highest-ranked batsman.
He told the London Evening Standard: “I’ve always said I’ll try anything once. I bumped into sushi in 2001 in New Zealand, just off the street, and I’ve never looked back. I love fresh, raw fish, California rolls, sashimi, teppanyaki, all that stuff. I must have it four times a week”
Mike Selvey, a former England cricketer and now a commentator and cricket writer for the Guardian, remembers the England team tucking into sushi on a tour of the West Indies back in 2004. On his Guardian blog, he recalls teasing Matthew Hoggard for dining on sushi and mineral water before a big game but admits it can’t be all bad as Hoggard took four easy wickets to support an England win
I love going to the cricket; it is the perfect entertainment for a summer day. I pack a picnic basket with a section of tasty sushi rolls and nigiri(just for you Vaughny), some hot but delicious wasabi peas to snack on and a couple of bottles of Pocari Sweat (a Japanese energy drink that tastes a million times better than it sounds). Then I just sit back and relax and watch the game unfold, keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t be stopped by the great British weather.
I am already glued to the Ashes on tv – I just hope the Australians haven’t been eating too much sushi…
Wimbledon is here again and while the country goes tennis mad and the fans pile onto Henman Hill with strawberries and cream, British number 1 seed, Andy Murray, has turned Japanese for winning form.
Murray is hoping for his first gram slam win at Wimbledon 2009 and credits scoffing vast amounts of sushi for helping him bulk up and reach number three in the world rankings.
Murray has been singing the praises of sushi for the last couple of years and has had to eat a massive 6,000 calories a day to stay in shape for this grand slam season.
Murray recently told the Daily Telegraph, “In December, the greatest number of sushi pieces I ate in one sitting was 24. But that’s not actually that many – I’ve had more in one sitting in the past.
“I’m not bored of sushi yet and Japanese food is my favourite food.”
In fact, Murray claims to eat 42 pieces of sushi for dinner on a regular basis. That is a massive amount for you or me, but it has obviously done the trick as Murray has shot up the rankings in the last 12 months and is a serious contender to beat reigning champion and word number 1, Rafael Nadal and grass court wizard, Rodger Federer.
I will be checking to see if Murray is munching on maki rolls and nigiri at his post match press conferences, like he did after his dramatic five-set win over Richard Gasquet in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2008.
Murray is not the only sportsman to enjoy the benefits of a sushi diet, in fact, the Australian Institute of Sport recommends sushi for all its athletes. Pro skateboarder Tony Hawk and US baseball player Alex Rodriguez are sushi lovers and David Beckham is often photographed dining out on sushi at London restaurant, Nobu with Posh Spice.
The health benefits are well known – sushi boosts energy and fitness and helps a healthy heart as it is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Fish is a lean, low-calorie source of protein and Omega-3 and nori seaweed sheets are packed with essential minerals to support a healthy diet and build strength.
One thing’s for sure, us sushi lovers have a staggering variety to choose from. Andy Murray has been filling up on maki hand rolls, nigiri, inari sushi with fish, meat, vegetables, egg, tofu it’s no wonder he isn’t bored of Japanese food yet.
Tennis burns lots of calories and men’s championship matches often run to five sets over several hours so Murray will need to keep eating those sushi rolls to get the energy boosts he needs to fire off serves and smash shots from the baseline.
So as you settle down to watch the action on Centre Court, if Andy Murray does become the first Brit to win the men’s single’s Championship at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, remember he is powered by sushi.
