*日本壽司由來?........

Hi,
The basic concept of fish preparation in Japan is suggested by the following proverb: "Eat it raw first of all, then grill it, and boil it as the last resort." To amplify, it is felt that the taste and texture of fish is best appreciated when it is very fresh and eaten raw. If the fish is a little less than fresh then its best taste will be produced by sprinkling it with salt and grilling it. If the fish is not fresh, then it is better boiled with seasonings, such as soy sauce or soybean paste (miso).
Nigiri-sushi, prepared by putting a slice of raw fish onto a bite-size portion of hand-rolled, vinegar-flavored rice, has recently become internationally popular. But sushi originated as a means of preserving fish by fermenting it in boiled rice. Fish that are salted and placed in rice are preserved by lactic acid fermentation, which prevents proliferation of the bacteria that bring about putrefaction. A souring of flavor occurs during the process, and the fish is eaten only after the sticky decomposed rice has been cleaned off.
This older type of sushi is still produced in the areas surrounding Lake Biwa in western Japan, and similar types are also known in Korea, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia. In fact, the technique first originated in a preservation process developed for freshwater fish caught in the Mekong River and is thought to have diffused to Japan along with the rice cultivation.

壽司雖然是日本食品，但源本來自中國。壽司亦作「鮨」，這個字首先出現於公元前3至4世紀的中國辭典《爾雅．釋器》，其中記載「肉謂之羹，魚謂之鮨。」意指肉醬叫羹（也叫醢，hǎi，ㄏㄞˇ），而攪碎的魚肉叫鮨（q，ㄑ－ˊ）。


壽司的另一寫法「鮓」出現在五百多年後，公元2世紀中國漢朝的另一本辭典。劉熙的《釋名．卷二．釋飲食第十三》中記載「鮓滓也，以鹽米釀之加葅，熟而食之也。」意指鮓滓是種用鹽、米等醃製，讓魚肉發酵後剁碎，煮熟後進食。


一百年後，漢字傳到日本，鮨、鮓兩字已混為一談。中國也停止用米來釀製食品，到了明代，鮨、鮓更從中國菜中消失了。

886O_O