The fashion for Japanese cuisine has swept our country relatively recently. For several years, it was possible to observe how the menu of every second restaurant is replenished with traditionally Japanese sushi, sashimi and rolls. These dishes are now served not only in restaurants claiming to be Japanese in their concept, but also in any restaurant, pub, cafe, whose management believes that such diversity will increase the number of customers. Modern Japanese cuisine perfectly fits in the same menu with dishes from other countries – from the traditional for our consumer, Ukrainian and Russian to no less outlandish than the Japanese, Argentinean and Thai.
Special dreamers offer their visitors sushi in the Russian manner – with herring, bacon, bacon. In general, the choice is great! There remains only one question: what caused the interest in an unusual dish? Sushi is fashionable and original? Or maybe delicious? And how useful?
Interest in sushi is definitely a tribute to fashion. It is important to note that this fashion came to us not straight from Japan, but “through the west to the east”. True true! At first, Japanese dishes became popular in Europe and the United States, and only then appeared in Slavic countries, as evidenced by the very name “sushi”. Following the Japanese phonetics, it would be worthwhile to call these dishes “sushi”, but after some adaptation in the west, this name came to the Russian language as “sushi”. Following the fashion trends, every second, if not the first, managed to master Japanese chopsticks and understand the abundance of Oriental ingredients, but it is interesting to note that few people prepare sushi at home for breakfast, lunch or dinner, like traditional borscht or dumplings in our culture. Rather, it is a fashionable ritual at leisure, when you want to pamper yourself with something non-trivial.
“Tastes differ”. Someone disliked this dish from the first roll, and someone hurries every weekend to meet with friends, it is savoring Japanese dishes. But they and others will agree – sushi could not and are unlikely to take root in our genetic memory. For the Slavic table, traditional portions of hearty dishes were and remain, and let us follow modern trends to healthy eating, but is it not healthy for us to have a chop dinner and to have a light but traditional salad dinner. Japanese culinary traditions have long been famous for moderate portions and minimal heat treatment of ingredients. Just in compliance with these principles lies the danger of land in our latitudes.
And finally, the benefits and harms of sushi. Suck on one Japanese roll? The Japanese will be able, but the Russian is unlikely … Sushi is a very low-calorie food, in our country it is sometimes perceived as dietary (one serving of sushi contains about 350 kcal and only 3-4 grams of fat). It would seem that can harm the health or shape? A small portion of rice, sea fish and vegetable ingredient (vegetables, algae, ginger) – this is the source of benefit. Yes, but in part.
Useful:
- sea fish and substances contained in it develop mental activity, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular and digestive systems;
- rice improves the digestive process, is rich in fiber, but one should not forget that it has a high glycemic index;
- soy sauce prevents early aging, improves microcirculation in the body, strengthens blood vessels, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and mental abilities of a person;
- wasabi has antiseptic, antibacterial and anticoagulant properties;
- ginger is primarily a strong antioxidant, as well as an immune stimulant;
- in general, sushi contributes to weight loss, reduces the risk of cancer and is a natural antidepressant.
Dangerously:
- tuna meat, as well as some other species of long-lived marine predators, often contains high concentrations of mercury and heavy metals, and therefore one cannot afford to consume sushi with tuna more often than once every three weeks;
- soy sauce made from poor quality raw materials may also contain heavy metal salts and toxic substances; you need to beware and fakes wasabi, in the formulation of which the raw materials (rhizomes of Japanese horseradish) are often replaced by cheaper and affordable varieties of horseradish, spices and dyes;
- seaweed is rich in iodine, an essential element for a healthy body. But an excess of iodine causes no less dangerous disruption to the thyroid gland than its lack. The daily dose of iodine is 150 micrograms, and one standard roll contains about 90 micrograms, and this means that it is highly undesirable to eat more than two rolls in one sitting;
- sea fish, and sushi is prepared exclusively from sea fish, is the source of a huge amount of nutrients, and with minimal heat treatment they all enter the body – this is one of the pledges of Japanese longevity. But! Exceptionally Japanese. Note that Japan is an island country; in order to deliver fresh fish to the dining table you need just a few hours. Think about whether you want to consume fresh, thermally unprocessed fish, living away from the seas and oceans? Such a fish in a matter of hours turns from a healthy product into a dangerous one; it becomes a habitat for a huge number of worms and other parasites and bacteria. In order to prevent contamination of the product, it should at least be frozen for 12-36 hours, and it is better to pickle, smoke or pickle. Sushi with raw fish in our latitudes are made from pre-frozen products, but such dishes should be eaten within a few hours after preparation, so they cannot be an option for a long feast.
The information provided should in no way be a reason for refusing to consume land. It is rather a call to be attentive to your diet:
- order sushi in reliable and reliable establishments, it is highly undesirable to buy prepackaged goods in supermarkets; the main principle in the manufacture of high-quality sushi is the preparation before direct consumption;
- give preference to sushi and rolls, based on heat-treated fish – smoked, salted, pickled;
- do not get carried away by the frequent consumption of land; it is regularity, not frequency, that is appropriate here;
- adhere to the principle of moderation – do not order large sets, remember that the Japanese eat in small portions and this is also partly a guarantee of health;
- be careful with sushi as with rice products, if you are contraindicated in foods with a high glycemic index (for example, diabetes).