Sushi

Over the past several decades, Americans have gone from poking fun at the Japanese habit of eating raw fish to themselves consuming it by the ton. Even small towns have sprouted sushi bars. Sushi's fresh flavors and its generally low fat content fit perfectly with today's nutritional beliefs. Of course, not all sushi contains raw fish, and cross-cultural inventions such as California rolls or inari with its rice-stuffed fried bean curd can be purely vegetarian. This book emphasizes the photographability of well-crafted sushi over providing comprehensive directions for the home sushi chef, but it does provide inspiration for experimenting with this Japanese staple in the American kitchen. Yoshii's recipes yield many sushi varieties, and he carefully describes and demystifies both utensils and ingredients for the starting cook. (Reviewed March 15, 1999)962593460XMark Knoblauch