California roll

The California roll is a maki-zushi (roll), a kind of sushi, usually made inside-out, containing cucumber, crab meat or imitation crab stick, and avocado. Sometimes crab salad is substituted for the crab stick, and often the outer layer of rice (in an inside-out roll) is sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds or tobiko.

The California roll has been influential in sushi's global popularity and in inspiring sushi chefs around the world in creating their non-traditional fusion cuisine. [cite news| last = Renton| first = Alex| title = [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1715295,00.html How Sushi ate the World] | publisher = "The Guardian" | date = 2006-02-26 | accessdate=2006-08-20]

History

In the 1960s, Los Angeles became the entry point for sushi chefs from Japan seeking to make their fortune in the United States. The Tokyo Kaikan restaurant then featured one of the first sushi bars in Los Angeles. Ichiro Mashita, a sushi chef at the Kaikan, began substituting avocado for tuna (toro) and after further experimentation, the California roll was born.cite news |last = |first = | title = [http://events.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/books/review/McInerney-t.html Raw] |publisher = "New York Times"|date = 2007-06-10|accessdate = 2008-08-15] (The date is often given as early 1970s in other sources.)cite news | last = Hunt |first = Maria|title = [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050824/news_lz1f24sushi.html East-West Fusion: nontraditional ingredients give sushi local flavor] | publisher = "San Diego Union-Tribune" |date = 2005-08-24 |accessdate= 2006-08-20] [ [http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodasian.html History of the California roll with various early recipes and references] ] [ [http://www.thesushibar.com/ssushi_chipcolumn.shtml#California%20Roll Some further info on Mashita and the original California roll] ] Mashita realized the oily texture of avocado was a perfect substitute for toro. Traditionally sushi rolls are wrapped with nori on the outside. But Mashita also eventually made the roll "inside-out", i.e. uramaki, because Americans did not like seeing and chewing the nori on the outside of the roll.

After becoming the most popular in southern California it eventually became popular all across the United States by the 1980s. The roll contributed to sushi's growing popularity in the United States by easing diners into more exotic sushi options. [cite news| last= kestler |first = john| title = The Sushification of America| publisher = "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" |date = 2006-06-18| accessdate= 2006-08-20] Sushi chefs have since devised many kinds of rolls, beyond simple variation of the California roll. Many sushi restaurants in North America now feature a menu of such rolls.

References

External links

* [http://sushicup.com/preparation-and-making-of-california-rolls-9/2007/07/11/ Pictured guide on How to make California Roll]
* [http://www.sushimonsters.com/tutorials-make-uramaki-video.php Sushi Monsters - How To Make Uramaki]