Edomae Sushi is a popular culinary style in Japan; however, in Vietnam, the phrase “Edomae Sushi” is quite unfamiliar to diners who love Japanese food and culture. So, what exactly Edomae Sushi is? Let’s find out with Chiyoda.
For many people who understand Japanese, when hearing the phrase “Edo Mae”, they may think of the time – “Before the Edo period” or the cultural category “Edo style“. However perhaps few people know, the phrase “Edomae” not only refers to culture or time, but also refers to space – that is the vast and endless “in front of (Mae)” space of Edo city which later became the capital city – Tokyo.
Try opening Google Map and finding Tokyo city, what is the “front” of Tokyo city? Yes, it is the sea – Tokyo Bay – where seafood is extremely fresh and abundant.
With Edomae Sushi, we can understand that this Sushi dish is made from fresh ingredients from the sea in front of Edo. Nowadays, with the development of society and information, combining with many culinary cultures from different regions in Japan, Edomae Sushi could be understood as “Edo-style” in food culture.
In the early 19th century, when Tokyo was also known as Edo – the busiest port city in Japan – there were many mobile stalls that quickly serving the rush customers in the city. These stalls mainly offered Nigiri Sushi – kind of Sushi held in small pieces, placed on a big tray; Diners stood up to choose each handful Nigiri Sushi, eat them, pay, and then leave in the way like enjoying convenience “fast food” at that time.
Photo: Edo Tokyo Museum
Photo: Edo Tokyo Museum
At this time, because there was the lack of development of modern food preservation methods and too simple transportation system to distribute foods around the nation, Edomae Sushi focused on taking advantage of ingredients that could be caught directly and easily from the Edo Bay area in front of the city such as Unagi (eel), Ebi (shrimp), Maguro (tuna), Anago (sea eel), Kohada…; Since then, the phrase “Edomae Sushi” appeared to refer to the special handfuls of Nigiri Sushi which had been made from rich and fresh seafood source – Tokyo Bay, as well as to the quick and convenient way of enjoying Sushi in the Edo region.
The development of refrigeration methods, advanced transportation systems, economy, culture and society have had a strong impact on the using of diverser raw materials, preserving ingredients methods as well as the way of enjoyment of Edomae Sushi style in the Modern time.
Today, with advanced distribution system, we can see the ingredients used to make Edomae Sushi becoming diverse with many fish and seafood come from over the world such as: Salmon, squid, octopus or even vegetables…
Thank to the modern food preservation methods, the ingredients can maintain the freshness directly to customers quickly; however, the techniques used in the past to preserve seafood without refrigeration are still applied today in the preparation of dishes to enhance the umami taste of ingredients; for example, when making Kohada Fish Sushi, it is not simply a combine rice and fish together, the Kohada fish after being cut will be sprinkled with salt, then washed with vinegar and soaked in bonzuke; In this way, Kohada’s delicious umami will appear fully when being enjoyed.
Besides, the characteristic of Edomae Sushi nowaday is that it has to go through many stages of preparation before coming to the step of combining fish with rice. Sushi Chef must be proficient in preparing all stages meticulously, quickly and thoughtfully in order to bring to customers the freshest and most attractive dishes. Therefore, Edomae Sushi is not just a simple, popular dish, it has been elevated to a unique culinary culture of the Tokyo and Japan in general, reaching out to the world.
Edomae Sushi is a popular culinary style in Japan; however, in Vietnam, the phrase “Edomae Sushi” is quite unfamiliar to diners who love Japanese food and culture.
Chiyoda Sushi was established in 1959 in Japan, the chain of 200 stores of Chiyoda Sushi has always been pursuing the Edomae Style since its first appearance to bring diners a true and authentic Japanese culinary experience
Since 2016, Chiyoda Sushi has opened its first store in Saigon, so diners in Vietnam can enjoy Edomae Sushi authentically and easily with 25 years experienced chef Moriya Masahiro. Enjoying assorted Edomae Style Sushi sets made from the freshest ingredients imported directly from Toyosu fish market – Tokyo, combined with experienced cooking skills and a fully Japanese cultural environment could help you enjoy partly the quintessence of Japanese cuisine – Edomae Sushi.
