How sushi took the kosher world by storm and why it’s here to stay
No, not computers. No, not cell phones. I’m talking about sushi!
I betray my age when I say I remember the days before those cute, colorful little rolls were the sine qua non of every simchah spread. When I was a kid, exotic meant Chinese food — sesame chicken, beef with broccoli — not Japanese. Whouda thought a dish made of raw fish and seaweed would capture the hearts and stomachs of the Orthodox Jewish world? Who’d have dreamed the craze would actually last?
The food-obsessed kosher world always has an eye out for what non-kosher foodies are up to. When sushi made its appearance, it was a craze that lent itself easily to kosher chefs: It’s mostly made from kosher ingredients and is incredibly versatile — it can be a snack or a meal. And unlike pizza or chicken fingers, it’s pareve! It could swing either way at a party, be it an elegant wedding smorg or a milchig Melaveh Malkah.
“Sushi has been the biggest single game changer in the kosher world,” says Elan Kornblum of Great Kosher Restaurants. “No other item in the kosher world has had so much influence. People now assume pizza and sushi go together! There are caterers who won’t do an event if there isn’t a sushi table because it doesn’t reflect well on their business.”
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