Text: Marcella van Alphen & Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Claire Lessiau
Hosting the greatest amount of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, Tokyo is renowned for its exquisite cuisine, and rich cultural heritage. Both are transcended in the traditional art of Edo-style sushi: let’s unlock the secrets of Edomae sushi in the heart of Tokyo!
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The small whitish noren curtain is daunting. The kanji characters printed on it do not give away a lot. The rice paper of the wooden door is opaque and there is no way I can get a glimpse of what is going on inside. As I feel not at ease, thankfully, my interpreter takes the lead and confidently opens the sliding door on a traditional unassuming family-run sushiya. Instead of the perplex look any gaijin could have expected, the chef greets us and smiles at us: we are spot on time, meaning 5 minutes early in good Japanese fashion, and he is ready for us, here, nestled away from the bustling streets of world’s largest city.
Seated at the counter, the front row seats for tonight’s performance, a 16-course menu meticulously translated into English unveils the culinary journey that awaits. Tonight is not just about tasting amazing sushi! Tonight is an immersion in a tradition that spans centuries, encompassing etiquette, history, and technique with Sushi University. Started 10 years ago by a sushi gourmet, Sushi University aims at helping foreigners learn about sushi to appreciate them even more: a welcome initiative in a country where the language and cultural barriers are still very high for outsiders.
Edomae Sushi
Edomae, or Edo-style sushi is named after the former name of Tokyo. In the 17th century, when Edo was still a fishing village, the last unifier of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, made it the capital of his shogunate far from imperial Kyoto. Much work was needed to convert the swampy land into a habitable city. In this construction process, many eels got caught while rivers were being rerouted and land reclaimed to make place for the castle and other districts. A smart entrepreneur decided to grill these eels and add a splash of miso to sell them to the workers: a real success guaranteed by the freshness of the eel! The Edomae grilled eel was born, and shortly after Edomae (literally, “in front of Edo”) referred to all the fresh fish caught in the Bay of Tokyo. Things have evolved, and today Edomae sushi refers to nigiri sushi (or hand-rolled sushi) made of species from the Tokyo Bay area, even if the fish comes from all over Japan via the Toyosu market, world’s largest fish market.
First impression & seasonality
As the history of sushi unfolds, the chef places a first sushi in front of us on a Celadon ceramic plate. The finely chiselled swordtip squid is served with a touch of wasabi and nikiri soy sauce – a specific sauce made of soy sauce, boiled mirin and sake, and bonito soup stock used in sushi restaurants to enhance the toppings. The Japanese sushi etiquette is quite different from most Western codes: we savour right away in silence – an essential aspect of Japanese dining – to enjoy all the freshness! Thanks to the chiselling, the texture is perfect, and the nikiri shoyu gives the perfect balance of umami. Of course, the rice stays together as it should. It all melts in the mouth, celebrating the harmony of flavours.
The second course arrives shortly after. As it is very dear to the Japanese, seasonal fish are favoured and highlighted. This morning, the chef woke up at 5 a.m. to go to the Toyosu market to carefully select the seafood for this specific menu he crafted for the occasion. Even if it is the end of the season, he could find some bastard halibut (or hirame). So tender!
From conservation purposes to Japan’s poster food
We are far from the first pickled fish: the conservation method has turned into a culinary art! Originally, in some south eastern Asian tribes, fish was caught and preserved by fermenting it with salt and rice. The slimy rice was disposed of and the fish with its high protein content could be enjoyed year-round. The technique made it to Japan in the 8th century and evolved: the fish was eaten earlier and the pickled rice could be enjoyed too. Vinegar that appeared in the 15th century allowed to replace the taste of the lactic acid due to the fermentation process by the tastier acetic acid, also making sushi a lot faster to prepare, honouring both the fish and the pickled rice.
A symphony of tuna, straight from the tuna auction at Toyosu fish market
A deep red lean tuna sushi (or akami) is placed on the contrasting emerald green Celadon dish by the chef with confidence. This is the part of the tuna with the most veins, and the chef added a few drops of hot water on its surface to enhance the red, and perfected the taste with a brushstroke of nikiri shoyu. Later, the tender medium fatty tuna (or chutoro), and the sought-after light-in-colour very fatty tuna (or otoro) will complete our tuna tasting, each being presented at the best moment of the meal to be enhanced at best.
45 years of experience, and still perfecting the art
As our interpreter explains about the next course, the complexity of the art baffles us: beyond the seasonality of the fish, the perfect preparation of the rice, the homemade sauces, each topping is prepared in a unique way to be sublimed. The chef has just briefly boiled a kuruma prawn (kuruma ebi), prepared it with a hint of vinegar to keep the sweetness that fades away fast when it is cooked. The sweetness of the prawn, the firm yet tender meat, and the freshness delight the palate.
Second generation with 45 years of experience, the sushi chef smiles as he sees us marvel at his dishes. As he has just showed me, I use my chopsticks to top the next sushi over and take it with the topping on the side to prevent the rice from falling. I pay attention to dip only a small part of the silvery gizzard shad (and never the rice!) in the soy sauce to enjoy this very traditional Edomae sushi. The homemade wasabi was skilfully added with the ideal amount between the fish and the rice and it would be a faux-pas to ask for some here in Japan. I am perfecting my sushi etiquette in which every gesture has a purpose, with the end goal of honouring the food and respecting the chef and other patrons.
The evening unfolds, admiring the dexterity of the chef, hand-rolling the rice, swiftly adding the perfect amount of wasabi for each topping. Sea urchin, and abalone are presented before the Japanese conger (anago) that is slightly seared and brushed off with the sweet nitsume sauce. Every dish is perfect, and when the sweet omelette sushi followed by a maki of green onion and tuna are served, we know, as explained by our knowledgeable interpreter that they usually mark the end of the meal.
Empowered by Sushi University
Sushi University, a trailblazer in decoding Edo-style sushi, bridges the cultural gap by offering immersive tastings in various carefully curated sushi establishments all over Tokyo. This unique experience empowers foodies to appreciate the complexity, techniques, and history behind the art of sushi.
A truly transforming journey, sushi is no longer a mere dish, and the noren curtain is not so daunting anymore…
Travel tips:
- Sushi University can be run in English, French and Italian.
- Sushi University can arrange tastings in a wide range of sushi restaurants from typical Japanese sushiya to high-end sushi restaurant, all carefully selected by the owner.
- Do not expect to be served salmon in an Edomae sushiya: raw salmon was not eaten by the Japanese until the Norwegians came in the picture in the 1980s (check out this article to learn how salmon sushi are one of the best marketing coups!).
Best regards from far, 