{"id":7444,"date":"2025-07-31T14:02:59","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T05:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/?post_type=jetpack-portfolio&p=7444"},"modified":"2025-08-01T14:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T05:30:32","slug":"why-did-sushi-restaurants-start-serving-tsumami","status":"publish","type":"jetpack-portfolio","link":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/why-did-sushi-restaurants-start-serving-tsumami","title":{"rendered":"Why did sushi restaurants start serving Tsumami?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A

A new style of sushi born from the evolution of omakase sushi and sake<\/p><\/div>\n

From \u201cOkonomi\u201d to \u2018Omakase\u2019\u2014the changing style of ordering sushi<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the past, sushi restaurants typically offered \u201cOkonomi<\/span><\/a>,\u201d where customers ordered their favorite toppings in their preferred order. This style, considered the origin of Edomae-style sushi, allowed customers to freely choose what they wanted to eat rather than leaving it up to the sushi chef.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the other hand, the \u201cOmakase\u201d style emerged after World War II. As the variety of toppings increased, more customers found it difficult to choose. To avoid the hassle of ordering individually during business dinners or banquets, the practice of entrusting the selection to the sushi chef by saying \u201cOmakase\u201d became widespread.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

During the bubble economy<\/a><\/span> of the 1980s, this omakase style became the standard offering at high-end sushi restaurants.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A time when it was normal for sushi restaurants not to serve alcohol<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Sushi was originally a fast food served at street stalls. It was considered stylish to eat quickly and leave, and it was not a place to linger over a drink.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Even after sushi restaurants began operating as stores after World War II, the culture of \u201cno lingering\u201d and \u201cno alcohol\u201d remained, and even high-end restaurants typically only offered one or two types of sake.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The shochu boom and the evolution of sake mark a turning point<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In the early 2000s, a boom in authentic shochu arrived, and the culture of enjoying sake gradually spread to sushi restaurants. Following shochu, the spotlight turned to sake, which had previously played a supporting role.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sushi chefs deepened their connections with breweries across the country and began to recognize the high quality of \u201cmodern sake.\u201d Many premium sakes with complex flavors, such as acidity and aftertaste, emerged, and this led to the growing demand for small side dishes, or \u201cTsumami,\u201d to complement them.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tsumami is the part of a sushi restaurant that showcases its \u201ctechnique\u201d and \u201cindividuality.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Tsumami is not just an appetizer. It is a part of the meal where sushi chefs express the delicate techniques they cannot fully demonstrate in nigiri sushi, their handling of seasonal ingredients, and their skill in drawing out the flavor of dashi, all condensed into a single dish that embodies the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In recent years, more sushi restaurants have begun focusing on Tsumami served in the first half of their Omakase courses, and it is even said that \u201cyou can judge a restaurant’s true quality by its Tsumami.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Types of Tsumami<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Tsumami varies daily depending on the season and availability of ingredients, but some representative styles include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25a0 Sashimi and vinegar-marinated dishes<\/span>
\n\u30fbWhite fish kobujime (marinated in kelp)<\/span>
\n\u30fbShime-saba (vinegar-marinated mackerel)<\/span>
\n\u30fbThinly sliced Red seabream<\/span>
\n\u2192 The texture and acidity bring out the aroma of sake.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25a0 Simmered dishes<\/span>
\n\u30fbSimmered Red seabream<\/span>
\n\u30fbSimmered hamo (pike conger)<\/span>
\n\u30fbSoft simmered octopus<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

The appearance of Soft simmered octopus<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2192 The sweet and savory broth goes well with junmai sake.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25a0 Grilled and broiled dishes<\/span>
\n\u30fbSawara grilled in Saikyo miso<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

The appearance of Anago shirayaki<\/p><\/div>\n

\u30fbConger eel Shirayaki<\/span>
\n\u30fbMackerel Yuanyaki<\/span>
\n\u2192 A dish with a miso and soy sauce flavor that goes well with sake.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25a0 Steamed dishes and warm small dish<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

The appearance of Chawanmushi<\/p><\/div>\n

\u30fbChawanmushi (Steamed egg custard)<\/span>
\n\u30fbSakamushi (Sake-steamed clams)<\/span>
\n\u30fbFurofuki daikon (Simmered daikon radish)<\/span>
\n\u2192 The warmth and aroma of the broth add depth to the course.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25a0 Vinegared dishes and light appetizers<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

The appearance of Mozukusu<\/p><\/div>\n

\u30fbMozuku vinegar<\/span>
\n\u30fbCucumber and jellyfish vinegared dish<\/span>
\n\u30fbYuzu-flavored namasu<\/span>
\n\u2192 Used to cleanse the palate or change the flow of the meal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25a0 Delicacies<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

The appearance of Konowata<\/p><\/div>\n

\u30fbKonowata<\/span>
\n\u30fbKarasumi daikon<\/span>
\n\u30fbShuto and cream cheese<\/span>
\n\u2192 Even a small amount is full of flavor and goes well with sake.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Role of Tsumami in Modern Omakase Course<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

As the number of Tsumami dishes increased, diners would become full just from eating them, so chefs began to reduce the portion size of each dish and carefully calculate the overall flow of the meal.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In today’s high-end sushi restaurants, a typical menu consists of around 10 Tsumami dishes and 8\u201310 pieces of Nigiri sushi.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This style allows guests to fully enjoy the harmonious blend of \u201cNigiri sushi,\u201d \u201cJapanese cuisine,\u201d and \u201csake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Summary: Sushi restaurant Tsumami is a symbol of the \u201cevolving sushi culture.\u201d<\/span><\/h2>\n

The background behind sushi restaurants serving Tsumami includes the evolution of sake, the deepening of sushi chefs’ skills, and the \u201caesthetic design\u201d of the entire Omakase course.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tsumami is no longer a supporting role but has become one of the new main characters of sushi culture. Tasting the Tsumami served first in an omakase course will reveal the philosophy and true value of the sushi restaurant. That is no exaggeration.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From \u201cOkonomi\u201d to \u2018Omakase\u2019\u2014the changing style of ordering sushi In the past, sushi restaurants typically offered \u201cOkonomi,\u201d where customers ordered their favorite toppings in their preferred order. This style, considered the origin of Edomae-style sushi, allowed customers to freely choose what they wanted to eat rather than leaving it up to the sushi chef.   On the other hand, the \u201cOmakase\u201d style emerged after World War II. As the variety of toppings increased, more customers found it difficult to choose. To avoid the hassle of ordering individually during business dinners or banquets, the practice of entrusting the selection to the sushi chef by saying \u201cOmakase\u201d became widespread.   During the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"jetpack-portfolio-type":[144],"jetpack-portfolio-tag":[126],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio\/7444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/jetpack-portfolio"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7444"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio\/7444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7482,"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio\/7444\/revisions\/7482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jetpack-portfolio-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio-type?post=7444"},{"taxonomy":"jetpack-portfolio-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/basicknowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jetpack-portfolio-tag?post=7444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}