The Art of Sushi

Lovely presentation. Loved the use of color, the people were in black and white but the food was in color allowing it to shine and take the main focus.

I enjoyed that it was mostly about sushi and then included details on associated topics such as: ways fish are sourced, fish markets, rice, sake, knives (and technically swords, too, to cut the large tuna), wasabi, and culinary tools.

I liked the exploration of sushi in different settings; upscale, small sushiya with a Japanese chef with three Michelin stars, laidback but still stellar restaurant with sake pairings, homemade sushi, ‘cheap' sushi at an eatery with a conveyor belt, and a French chef with Michelin stars collaborating with a Japanese chef.

Apparently California rolls originated in Canada, that was a fun tidbit.

This would have been a 4 star read if it weren't for the elitist tone of the author.

I truly appreciated the journey around Japan to see all the different facets that go into the art of sushi, from how the fish is caught and prepared, to the creation of sake and shoyu, and all the varieties of rice grown. It was really interesting to see everything from a 3 star michelin sushiya to the everyday Kaiten and homemade sushi.

However, as I previously mentioned the author had a very privileged, classist tone when talking about anything other than the most expensively prepared meal, with a highly trained sushi chef. The majority of people will never have access to that type of dining experience, and to look down at a more accessible variety of sushi was very off putting.

Sure, be mindful of whether restaurants are sourcing their fish locally. Whether it's ocean vs. farm fished. If preparing sushi at home, be aware of the practices involved in preparing dishes safely. But there was shaming tone used when talking about more affordable sushi options and I just didn't care for it which unfortunately took away from my rating of the book.

I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and easy way to learn about sushi. It certainly has peaked my interest to seek out more in depth reading about it.

***Thank you to Papercutz, NBM Publishing for providing me with the e-ARC for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.