Sushi, originating in South East Asia back to the 4th century, has come a long way from its earliest form. Compared with the current sushi most of the world recognizes, Southeast Asians considered sushi to a preserved food; it’s ingredients consisted of salted fish, fermented with rice. The rice was never even eaten. Some areas in Japan still consume this dish (known as なれ鮨 or “narezushi”).
At the beginning of the 19th century, にぎり寿司 (“nigiri-zushi”) emerged as a fast-food option in mobile food-stalls, thanks to the credited inventor 華屋 与兵衛 (Hanaya Yohei). By 1897, simple methods of refrigeration became common and chefs begin using more raw fish. Only those in Edo, currently Tokyo, ate Sushi until the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, when sushi chefs migrated in search of new employment opportunities.
During the Meiji Era, many Japanese folks migrated to different parts of the world, including the States. San Francisco became home to “Little Tokyo.” In 1906, the first sushi restaurant opens in the United States. From there, the Japanese gastronomic explosion fizzles as World War II unravels. Sushi reappears in America in the 1960s; this is also when the California Roll (usually consisting of avocado, imitation crab, and cucumber) came to be. Compared to traditional “makimono,” Ichiro Mashita made the California Roll inside out in order to please American customers who displayed their uncomfortableness with seaweed. Sushi became especially known after the late 1980s when Japan had their economic bubble and many Japanese businessmen came to the states for trading. Fusion sushi is currently popular in many continents.