sushi bridge
I have said before that eating in Japan is not just about sensational flavours and textures – your food needs to look fantastic as well.
There is a long tradition of elaborate tableware to serve and present sushi which adds to the dining experience without the need of a human model to eat it off.
Diners in sushi restaurants are often treated to a feast of different sushi rolls, pickles and delicacies, served on a range of interesting and unique tableware.
Boat shaped serving dishes of various sizes are often used to serve sushi and sashimi. They are made of light wood, varnished or lacquered to be easy to clean. The boat connection is fairly obvious as fresh fish and shellfish are at the heart of the finest sushi rolls and nigiri and many of the serving dishes are based on traditional-style fishing boats.
Another popular design is a bridge, often in a traditional shape like the old wooden style bridges or Nihonbashi (literally translated as Japan Bridge). Nihonibashi is also a district of Tokyo which has grown from a bridge of the same name. A wooden bridge was first constructed in 1603 and a stone bridge now stands on the same site.
Way back when the bridge was first constructed in Japan’s Edo period, Nihonbashi was a major commercial district and the site of the all-important fish market. The fish market was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1923 and was relocated to the Tsukiji district which is now the biggest fish market in the world with more than 400 different types of seafood traded and sold by hundreds of independent wholesale vendors.
The bridge serving dishes look very much like the original Nihonbashi bridge with its steep curve and detailed wooden railings. And your food does look fabulous arranged on the middle of the bridge which has space at each end for wasabi and pickled ginger.
If you like to entertain your guests at a sushi party, a unique serving dish is a great way to add the wow factor if they are not already impressed with your excellent cooking.
The Japanese diet is well known for being one of the healthiest in the world – it is low in fat, high in carbohydrates and rich with fresh fruit and vegetables and lots of seafood.
national seefood fortnight
September 4-20th is National Seafood Week (yes this is the title even though it’s a fortnight) which aims to encourage people to eat more of any edible entity that comes from the sea including fish, shellfish and seaweed.
Sushi is well known for being low- fat, healthy and filling for a number of reasons but mostly because of the delicious fresh seafood. Fish and shellfish are low fat and full of good stuff like vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and essential protein. Dieticians recommend we eat fish twice a week and I plan to get my fill with sushi.
Sushi is as much a visual feast as a culinary one and fish is a big part of this. Imagine rows of nigiri on an elegant, white serving plate, topped with plump king prawns or thick slices of juicy salmon.
Maki rolls are filled with everything from fresh tuna, salmon, fish roe, crayfish, prawns, squid and eel (unagi) which is a popular delicacy. Seafood in sushi rolls is served cooked or raw (sashimi) but offers the same health benefits either way.
Seaweed is harder to slip into a western diet as we don’t traditionally know how to cook it or eat it so sushi is an ideal way to enjoy it. You can use sheets of nori seaweed for all types of sushi or you can buy packets of dried wakame seaweed which you can add to soups and stocks and even use for an oriental-style salad.
National Seafood week is an excellent opportunity to eat more of your favourite Japanese food and introduce it to friends and family. If you are stuck for inspiration, just get a sushi recipe and check out all the different fish-based dishes you can try.
The Japanese enjoy the longest lifespan on the planet and have much lower rates of heart disease, osteoporosis, breast and prostate cancer than many other countries. Is it any wonder when their food is healthy, tastes great and is a visual treat to behold.
