A brief history of Edomae sushi

Edomae refers to a style of ‘fast-food’ sushi rustled up in Tokyo towards the end of the Edo period (1603-1868) to tackle the problem of how to stop fish from spoiling. At that time, itamae made nigiri sushi with the fresh catch of the day from Tokyo Bay and served it at nearby street stalls.

‘The original Edomae sushi wasn’t eaten raw’, explains Araki. ‘It was made with fermented and salted ingredients, such as vinegar and kombu (seaweed), as a way of preserving food before refrigeration.’

The style became so ubiquitous, it had a dominating influence on modern sushi, though today there are a bigger variety of neta (the ingredient on top of the sushi rice), ranging from natto (fermented soy beans) to avocado – although the jury’s out on if the latter counts as ‘real’ sushi.