Sushi 鮨

Difference between EDOMAE Sushi and OSAKA Sushi

Both sushi styles originated from the classic sushi somewhere during the Edo period and evolved to become, over time, the sushi we know now.At the time, when no refrigeration was available, the only way to preserve food was to cook or grill it, or, pickle it with salt and vinegar, which enhanced the taste and saved the food from spoilage.With the evolution of civilization, Edo-Mae Sushi became served with fresh fish, whilst the Osaka Sushi kept the sushi as a souvenir product or something to take away along on a journey. To this day, Osaka Sushi is still only served with cooked or preserved products.But the greatest difference remains the fact that the Edomae Sushi’s vinegar rice is put into its form by hand and that its flavour defines the freshness of the dish.Osaka Sushi, on the contrary, is made by pressing the ingredients into a square box, which also earns them the name of Oshisushi “pressed sushi” or Hakosushi “box sushi”. The amount of rice is greater as it balances the different products used in a different ratio.Of course, other ingredients are of great importance but the “umami” brought by the vinegar pickled rice is primordial. The vinegar rice used in Edomae Sushi is cooked with Kombu algae, which gives it a sweet taste.The Edomae Sushi rice contains a great amount of air, making it light and puff, whilst the Osaka Sushi, as it is pressed into its form, takes on a heavier, more concentrated taste. There, the main quality resides in the softness of the cooking of the rice.

Born in Numazu, Shizuoka prefecture in 1966, chef Miyata spent his childhood in the Asakusa quarter of Tokyo. Coming from the region with the highest mountain in Japan, Mount Fuji, and surrounded by the deepest waters of the bay of Suruga, he decided to become a sushi chef at age 18, so as to ally produce of the sea with produce from the mountains. He began training at the age of 18 at an over 100 years old Edomae Sushi restaurant in Tokyo. His passion and skills in sushi proved and at the age of 22, he was named executive chef ”Hanaita” of a 24-seat Edomae Sushi restaurant.He then served as executive chef of many long-established Edomae Sushi restaurants often visited by many celebrities.At the age of 43, he mastered the art of Osaka Sushi at a 370 years old restaurant in Osaka, and has been serving customers with both Edomae Sushi and Osaka Sushi since then. He has now been a practicing sushi chef for over 37 years.