Guest Editor: Christina Joell
copyright 2017 Art of Living, PrimaMedia Inc.
A sushi burrito. The idea is intriguing, innovative and pretty creative. We could even say it’s cross-cultural. It takes the regular components that make a sushi roll (rice, seaweed, seafood, etc.) and extends it into the shape of what is traditionally known as a burrito.
Sushi is Japanese cuisine. The original first concept of sushi came to Japan about 2,000 years ago, but the form of sushi that we are aware of came to be during the 8th–9th century. Fish was salted and then wrapped in fermented rice, since fermented rice could prevent the fish from spoiling. In the early beginning, the rice was thrown away and only the fish was eaten. During the Edo period (1603-1868), sushi was created so that rice and fish could be eaten at the same time. The rice was now mixed with vinegar. It still had the fish, and vegetables and dried food were added. This became the sushi we are aware of today. The wonderful thing about sushi is that it’s not a fixed dish. There are traditional recipes, but chefs are still coming up with new methods, ingredients and ways of preparing sushi that keeps it young and fresh.
Burritos are a type of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. The exact origin of the burrito is unknown, but it is believed to have come from the Mexican-American community, whereas others say the term came to be in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1895, but it isn’t certain. What is known is that the idea of the burrito came to America in the 1900s. It is usually comprised of meat, rice, vegetables, etc. Whatever you desire to be in your burrito can be in it. The main characteristic of a burrito is that all the ingredients are wrapped securely in a tortilla, usually flour, in a cylinder-like shape.
The sushi burrito takes the two things we love the most about those two foods: the flavors of sushi, but the largeness and the easy-handling of a burrito. Instead of a flour tortilla, the ingredients of the sushi burrito are wrapped in seaweed, as normal sushi is, but the portion size is much bigger. This sushi burrito is a really good idea for those who have a 6-8 pack of sushi and think to themselves “this isn’t enough.” But like a burrito and unlike sushi, it’s hard to get the proportions right. Have you ever bit into a burrito and gotten nothing but rice or just a small amount of the ingredients inside? This is what happens when you eat the sushi burrito. Little bites can result in nothing but seaweed, rice and vegetables whereas other bites leave you with just fish. The idea of sushi is to pack a lot of flavor in a bite sized pieces. You get equal balances of fish, rice, seaweed and vegetables all at once because they’re small enough to be popped into your mouth all at once – and it’s designed that way. Do you lose that with the largeness of the burrito?
