The original sushi seems to have been the
fermented preparation narezushi (p. 235);
sushi means “salted” and now applies more to
the flavored rice, not the fish. The familiar
bite-sized morsels of raw fish and lightly
salted and acidified rice are nigiri sushi,
meaning “grasped” or “squeezed,” since the
rice portion is usually molded by hand. The
mass-produced version of sushi found in
supermarkets is formed by industrial robots.
Sushi chefs take great care to avoid
contamination of the fish. They use a solution
of cold water and chlorine bleach to clean
surfaces between preparations, and they
change cleaning solutions and cloths
frequently during service.
Tart Ceviche and Kinilaw
Ceviche is an ancient dish from the northern
coast of South America, in which small cubes
or thin slices of raw fish are “cooked” by