Sushi and sashimi are by now global sensations and have become perhaps the best-known of Japanese foods, but they are also the most widely misunderstood. Oishii: The History of Sushi reveals that sushi began as a fermented food with a sour taste, used as a means to preserve fish. This book, the first history of sushi in English, traces sushi's development from China to Japan and then internationally, and its evolution from street food to high-class cuisine. Included are historical and original recipes that display the diversity of sushi and how to prepare it. An expert on Japanese food history, Eric C. Rath has written a must-read for understanding sushi's past and how it became one of the world's greatest cuisines.