Editing Sushi (section)

=== ''Narezushi'' ===
A dish known as {{nihongo3|"matured fish"|馴れ寿司, 熟寿司|narezushi}}, stored in fermented rice for possibly months at a time, has been cited as one of the early influences for the Japanese practice of applying rice on raw fish. The fish was fermented with rice vinegar, salt, and rice, after which the rice was discarded.<ref name="worldcat1993">{{Cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Cherl-Ho|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/395550059|title=Fish fermentation technology|last2=Steinkraus|first2=Keith H|last3=Reilly|first3=P.J. Alan|date=1993|publisher=United Nation University Press|location=Tokyo|language=English|oclc=395550059|access-date=2021-06-17|archive-date=2021-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113054410/https://www.worldcat.org/title/fish-fermentation-technology/oclc/395550059%26referer%3Dbrief_results|url-status=live}}</ref> {{transliteration|ja|Narezushi}} is also called '''{{transliteration|ja|honnare}}''', meaning "fully fermented", as opposed to {{transliteration|ja|namanare}}, meaning "partially fermented", a type of sushi that appeared in the [[Muromachi period]].<ref name="jst140223"/>

Fermented fish using rice, such as {{transliteration|ja|narezushi}}, originated in [[Southeast Asia]] where it was made to preserve [[freshwater fish]], possibly in the [[Mekong River]] basin, which is now [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]], [[Thailand]], and [[Vietnam]], and in the [[Irrawaddy River]] basin, which is now [[Myanmar]].<ref name="jst140223" /> The first mention of a {{transliteration|ja|narezushi}}-like food is in a Chinese dictionary thought to be from the 4th century, in this instance referring to salted fish that had been placed in cooked or steamed rice, which caused it to undergo a fermentation process via [[lactic acid]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mouritsen |first=O. G. |title=SUSHI food for the eye, the body & the soul |publisher=[[Springer Publishing Company|Springer]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4419-0617-5 |edition=2nd |location=Boston |pages=15 |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-0618-2|bibcode=2009sfeb.book.....M }}</ref><ref name="sanchez2008" /> Fermentation methods following similar logic in other Asian rice cultures include {{lang|fil|[[burong isda]]}}, {{lang|fil|[[balao-balao]]}}, and {{lang|mdh|[[tinapayan]]}} of the [[Philippines]]; ''[[pekasam]]'' of [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]]; ''[[padaek]]'' ({{lang|lo|ປາແດກ}}) of [[Laos]]; {{transliteration|th|[[pla ra]]}} ({{lang|th|ปลาร้า}}) of Thailand; ''[[sikhae]]'' ({{lang|ko|식해}}) of [[Korea]]; and ''Mắm bò hóc'' or ''cá chua'' of Vietnam.<ref name="sanchez2008">{{cite book|first1=Priscilla C.|last1= Sanchez|title =Philippine Fermented Foods: Principles and Technology|chapter =Lactic-Acid-Fermented Fish and Fishery Products|publisher =University of the Philippines Press|year =2008|page=264|isbn = 9789715425544|chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=smfr-KYgtWkC&pg=PT10}}</ref><ref name="worldcat1993"/><ref name="The Guardian, UK- 'Chopsticks at dawn for a sushi showdown'">{{cite news|last=Hill|first=Amelia|title=Chopsticks at dawn for a sushi showdown|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2185313,00.html|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=25 September 2011|location=London|date=2007-10-08|archive-date=2007-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217051859/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2185313,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guerra |first1=M.I. |title=Studies on tinapayan, an indigenous fish ferment in Central Mindanao (Philippines) |journal=AGRIS |date=1994 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=364–365}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-04 |title=Unveiling the origins of sushi: a journey through Vietnam |url=https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/ttnewsstyle/20240504/unveiling-the-origins-of-sushi-a-journey-through-vietnam/79556.html |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=Tuoi Tre News}}</ref>{{overcite|date=October 2024}}

The [[lacto-fermentation]] of the rice prevents the fish from spoiling. When wet-field rice cultivation was introduced during the [[Yayoi period]], lakes and rivers would flood during the rainy season and fish would get caught in the rice paddy fields. Pickling was a way to preserve the excess fish and guarantee food for the following months, and {{transliteration|ja|narezushi}} became an important source of protein for Japanese consumers. The term ''sushi'' literally means "sour-tasting", as the overall dish has a sour and [[umami]] or savory taste. The term comes from an [[Japanese adjectives#Archaic forms|antiquated]] {{lang|ja|し}} {{transliteration|ja|shi}} terminal-form conjugation, no longer used in other contexts, of the [[Japanese adjectives|adjectival verb]] {{nihongo3|"to be sour"|酸い|sui}},<ref>1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan</ref> resulting in the term {{nihongo||酸し|sushi}}.<ref>{{cite journal | author1 = Kouji Itou | author2 = Shinsuke Kobayashi | author3 = Tooru Ooizumi | author4 = Yoshiaki Akahane | year = 2006 | title = Changes of proximate composition and extractive components in narezushi, a fermented mackerel product, during processing | journal = Fisheries Science | volume = 72 | issue = 6 | pages = 1269–1276 | doi = 10.1111/j.1444-2906.2006.01285.x| bibcode = 2006FisSc..72.1269I | s2cid = 24004124 |issn=0919-9268 }}</ref> {{transliteration|ja|Narezushi}} still exists as a regional specialty, notably as {{transliteration|ja|funa-zushi}} from [[Shiga Prefecture]].<ref name="tsukiji">{{cite book |last1=Bestor |first1=Theodore C. |author-link = Theodore C. Bestor |title=[[Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World]] |page=141 |isbn=9780520923584|date=2004-07-13 |publisher=University of California Press }}</ref>

In the {{nihongo|[[Yōrō Code]]|養老律令|Yōrō-ritsuryō}} of 718, the characters for "鮨" and "鮓" are written as a tribute to the Japanese imperial court, and although there are various theories as to what exactly this food was, it is possible that it referred to {{transliteration|ja|narezushi}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO30379530R10C18A5000000?page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028122209/https://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO30379530R10C18A5000000?page=2|script-title=ja:握りずし 始まりは江戸っ子のホットドッグスタンド|language=ja|publisher=[[Nikkei, Inc.]]|date=9 June 2018|archive-date=28 October 2020|access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref>