Women are not permitted to become sushi chefs. This comes from a tradition as old as sushi’s popularity itself. Sushi became popular in the Japanese Edo Period. Since sushi is served cold, it needs to be made cold. A woman’s hands were believed to be too warm to make a cold dish. So only men could become sushi chefs.
Although, to my knowledge, that tradition has not changed, there is no restriction on “making artistic makizushi (cooked rice, vegetables and/or seafood rolled into a seaweed wrap)”. Initially, Takayo Kiyota, the creator of the amazing work here, was mistaken for a man. But that is secondary to her art. She is a master at it, even if she has warm hands.
Munch on this
The ingredients that will create the lines and volumes of the individual sliced pieces are first laid lengthwise, bottom-to-top, then rolled tightly shut (with the help of removeable skewers) in a sheet of seaweed. By subsequently slicing cross-sections out of the resultant loaf-shape, your success (or failure) is then revealed.
Tokyo-based Kiyota, a/k/a Tama-chan, calls her creations Nikkori-zushi, or “smile sushi.”
She currently gives workshops in Tokyo where she teaches others how to make, or attempt to make, their own Nikkori-zushi creations. It is, of course, fiendishly difficult–though we’d like to think that industrial designers trained to think in 3D might have a leg up. Making a Nikkori-zushi brings to mind extrusions, 3D printing and cross-sections.
Have a portrait done of your pet.
Amusingly, Kiyota even uses her creations to communicate. When this Japanese writer asked if he could interview her, she sent him this image as an assent.
This is a rough translation from Japanese, but as Kiyota writes in her blog, “You don’t know how the images will come out until you cut the roll open at the end, and the thrill of that moment is almost unbearable!”
The treasures of an Egyptian tomb could not surpass this makizushi.
Do I spot some ‘Hello Kitty’ makizushi?
You can even create a makizushi family tree
If you’re wondering why there’s no fish visible in Kiyota’s “smile-sushi:” In Japanese sushi actually refers to cooked rice mixed with other ingredients, be they vegetables or seafood, whereas in English we incorrectly take it to refer to raw fish.
Sushi is often spelled (and pronounced) -zushi when used as a suffix, hence makizushi and Nikkori-zushi.
The above examples of Takayo Kiyota’s are amazing Japanese food art. There are many different styles and kinds of designs. The closest thing they remind me of is Fimo Clay Art. Kennick Kreations – Fimo Clay Beads & Fimo Nail Art
