Japanese Sushi History

     Sushi began centuries ago in Japan as a method of preserving fish. It is told that the origins of sushi came form countries of Southeastern Asia. Cleaned, raw fish were pressed between layers of salt and weighted with a stone. After a few weeks, the stone was removed and replaced with a light cover, and a few months after that, the fermented fish and rice were considered ready to eat. Some restaurants in Tokyo still serve this original style of sushi, called nare-sushi made with freshwater carp. Its flavor is so strong that it obscures the fish's identity altogether, and nare-sushi is something of an acquired taste.

     It wasn't until the eighteenth century that a clever chef named Yohei decided to forego the fermentation and serve sushi in something resembling its present form. It became very popular and two distinct styles emerged Kansai style, from the city of Osaka in the Kansai region, and Edo style, from Tokyo, which was then called Edo. Osaka has always been the commercial capital of Japan, and the rice merchants there developed sushi that consisted primarily of seasoned rice mixed with other ingredients and formed into decorative, edible packages. Tokyo, located on a bay then rich with fish and shellfish, produced nigiri sushi, featuring a select bit of seafood on a small pad of seasoned rice. Although the ornamental sushi of the Kansai region is still very popular, it is nigiri sushi that foreigners are familiar with. Today, even Japanese consider nigiri sushi is the origin of sushi, the truth is different. Kansai sushi (Osaka Sushi) has much more history and techniques than nigiri sushi, few Japanese knows about this fact.
               Love Boat

About Our Sushi

     The delicate and delicious art of sushi preparation is practiced at Osako Japanese Restaurant with no finer skill and finesse to be found anywhere in the East. With many tantalizing choices, all of them off-the-boat fresh, Osako’s sushi chefs create the most subtle, succulent yellowtail, scrumptious spicy tuna, hand rolls, appetizing smoked salmon and delicate, delectable salmon roe.

      The beautifully crafted maki and nigiri combos are so artfully prepared it seems a shame to eat them – but devour them you will with utter delight. Have a special request? Our skilled chefs will no doubt be able to satisfy your every desire. Rival chefs at other top area restaurants envy our access to the finest fresh fish in all of upstate New York.

      Whether you wish to enjoy the most luscious sashimi, the masterfully created and wonderfully diverse sushi or one of our many mouth-watering cooked creations, such as heavenly tempura-battered soft shell crab, your only challenge of the Osako dining experience will be deciding what to choose next.