California Maki: The Businessman’s Sushi

As an American sushi chef, I try to maintain the delicate balance of creating sushi that Americans will enjoy while maintaining true to Japanese customs. This is not always easy. Throw in the common notion that maki, or rolled sushi, isn’t even sushi at all and the balance is even more difficult to maintain.

What’s a sushi chef to do?

I turn my thoughts to the California maki – that quintessential crab, cucumber and avocado roll often topped with sesame seeds or vivid orange masago roe. Yet you’re probably wondering why any self-respecting sushi chef would fall back on such an elementary and generic form of sushi created to appease American taste buds? That’s simple. It’s the principle of the roll that gathers my attention most. And…the California maki may be more Japanese-inspired than you think.

Before you continue, grab a steaming cup of green tea and have a seat. What follows may be quite a shock:

The California maki was not originally created for Americans.

While the popularity of the maki may have spread throughout the American population, sushi history maintains that the creation was initially produced for Japanese taste buds. The first sushi bars in California were set up to accommodate traveling Japanese businessmen with a taste of home. With California’s proximity to the ocean, it was quite easy to provide more traditional styles of sushi with the freshest fish. However, a rising demand for toro, the creamy fatty belly of bluefin tuna, became more and more difficult to provide. To meet the customer demand, industrious sushi chefs used an age-old tenant of Japanese cuisine- the use of local, fresh ingredients- to mimic the feel of toro on the tongue. It was discovered that the combination of crab and new, local ingredient avocado created this sensation best. A legend was born!

So, who’s going out for California rolls tonight?