The Sushi Economy: by Sasha Issenberg

By Aaron Jacobs

o the uninitiated, few things can be more intimidating than a sushi bar. Though the process of ordering and eating sushi isn't nearly as intense as some would think, it does require a certain amount of knowledge to confidently stride into a sushi restaurant and order toro nigiri without fear. Thankfully, Philadelphia-based journalist Sasha Issenberg presents an exhaustive look at sushi - how it is caught, shipped and prepared - that goes a long way toward instilling sushi confidence.

Rather than a foodie round-up of the great plates at global sushi bars, Sushi Economy alternates between the cuisine's history and the key steps in a sushi chef's trajectory. Putting the reader in the thick of things, the book dives into the global seafood marketplace that has brewed over 30 years to accommodate the growing demands for the much-coveted raw fish.

In an absorbing firsthand study, Issenberg shows the global economy in action over the course of the book, which becomes a bit wearying, but his structure tracing the journey of tuna from ocean to sushi bar through a series of little anecdotes prevents the material from becoming overwhelming. Along the way, he dishes out sushi sound bites and history factoids, such as the speculation that wasabi was first introduced to dilute fish toxins, and how tuna was worthless a generation ago in New England and was initially just used for cat food.

As he brings to life the livelihood of the marketplace, he reveals how sushi originated on the streets of 19th-century Tokyo. Sushi, according to Issenberg, may seem both quintessentially foreign and utterly familiar today, however, made-to-order fresh sushi was invented in the early 19th century and quickly became a popular fast food in Edo (Japan), but didn't reach North American shores until the '50s. More than a decade later, eating sushi would become the hipster forage.

In the 1980s, sushi soared in popularity worldwide, and today, toro (fatty tuna belly) is among the planet's most coveted luxury foods. “What made sushi particularly hard for Americans to stomach was its central premise,” writes Issenberg. “Tuna was lifeless, off-white, emerged from cans, reduced to flakes, and then clumped back together, rendered into creamy paste, scooped with implements designed for ice cream onto slices of white bread.”

In a richly reported chapter, Issenberg focuses on Nobu Matsuhisa, taking us behind the scenes as the Iron Chef whose signature restaurants helped him become the 600lb gorilla of Japanese cuisine. This chapter recounts the early life of chef as a young cook with wanderlust who finds success in L.A. There is another chapter devoted to Texan chef Tyson Cole, the ambitious chef who owns Uchi, a sushi restaurant in Austin.

Issenberg notes that, by Japanese standards, most of us eat sushi incorrectly: Sushi should be picked up with the fingers rather than chopsticks, and eaten in one bite. The fish should touch the tongue before the rice does and shouldn't be slathered with soy sauce.

The book both educates and allows us to see the global commerce journey involved in our lunch at the local sushi bar; behind that omakase are international networks of fishermen, brokers, shippers, chefs, marine biologists, ranchers, and even the dark side of pirates, smugglers, and the tuna black market. The Sushi Economy is a rare book, full of treats for both the specialist and the general reader.