Preparing and serving food is an art. Just like literature, music, painting, sculpture or architecture. And in a Japanese culture full of respect for tradition, rituals and attention to detail, the culinary art of sushi is a special art.

Japanese tradition

Japanese culture is rich in unique, deeply rooted traditions. Thanks to this very fact, Japan, which today is a modern country, preserves its own cultural heritage. And it has to be said that it has acquired quite a few of these cultural traditions that belong to it alone.

Origami, the art of folding paper into fidgety figures.

Bonsai, or caring for plants to make miniature but successful full-size ones grow.

Ikebana, or the creation of harmonious flower compositions. Harmony, the key word.

Kendo, or stick-fighting. A version of the Polish wedding brawl with rails, but supposedly much more noble.

Other Japanese martial arts, namely sumo, judo, karate or aikido.

Chanoyu, or the traditional Japanese ritual of serving tea.

And of course sushi.

Haiku, kabuki, katana, kimono. And, of course, we've barely begun the topic, because we could list longer, but I'm limited by the length of the note. And each time a global success grew out of a local tradition. Not to mention manga and anime.

Sushi in Japanese culture

Sushi is a culinary art whose centuries-old tradition demands one thing from the cook. Perfection. Not only in the technique of cutting fish, seafood, vegetables, preparing rice or shaping a bite. Perfection in the attention to detail and understanding of the ingredients one uses is also essential.

Perfection is respect for Japanese tradition.

From it came hand-sharpened knives on special stones, attention to the correct composition of the dish and from it came the way of consumption.

It is a symbol of Japanese cuisine all over the world. But it's not just a mega-popular dish with global fame and thus accessibility. In Japan eating sushi not just the satisfaction of hunger, but a ritual in which details count, from the way it is served to the way it is eaten. Let us focus this time on the latter.

The art of eating sushi

First of all, wash your hands before you consume. And not that you only wash your hands before consumption sushi in a restaurant. Always wash your hands before eating an onlooker!

But in the case of sushi, secondly, it's important because we grab it with chopsticks or fingers. Not with a knife and fork. If you don't know how to handle chopsticks (I don't think I'll ever learn, though I'm not folding my arms and continuing to try), but are reluctant to grasp the treats in your fingers, ask for a sushi sticks for children. But just to be clear, eating with your fingers is absolutely a traditionally permitted way of consumption.

Thirdly, dip the sushi in the soy sauce before putting it in your mouth, but don't drown it in the sauce. Just brush it with it so that the sauce doesn't dominate the flavour. The chef didn't prepare the soy sauce for you, just your special bite of sushi.

Wasabi, fourthly, apply separately to rice. The reason as above. The overcooked mixture of sauce and wasabi flavours will kill the taste of what you are actually eating.

Fifth, eat them in one bite. This is how you will best taste the combination that sushi master under the supervision of the chef has prepared for you.

Sixth, snack on pickled ginger between bites. And sip on whatever you happen to be sipping on, just to get your taste buds ready for the next bite. Green tea, water, sake, rice wine or plum wine.

And finally, behave politely and thank them for preparing a delicious meal. Just as a well-bred Japanese person would do.

And while sushi is an art, it definitely takes more than one piece of sushi to find out. That's why, when visiting a restaurant Sushi Zushi I recommend indulging your appetite.