Think that frozen sushi can’t still be fresh? Well, you’re in for a surprise. All fresh sushi was at one point frozen due to safety regulations in the United States in Europe. Both require that all raw fish be frozen for a certain period of time in order to kill potential parasites or flukes. In Europe, raw fish is required to have been frozen at -20 degrees celsius for a period of at least 24 hours. Even if you’re visiting the best sushi restaurant in Europe or the US, the fish will have been frozen first. Sadly, this does damage the original taste and texture.

Is this the case in Japan also? No, in Japan, fish does not have to be frozen prior to being served as sushi. However, there is one major difference. Japanese sushi chefs are skillfully trained to recognize problems such as flukes and parasites as soon as they purchase at the market. In Japanese culture, making customers sick would be a terrible disgrace. In the US and Europe, sushi chefs aren’t always as highly trained nor as skilled at spotting potential problems in fish. Given that sushi can be served anywhere from a gas station to a grocery store, health officials find it prudent to put regulations in place to keep people safe.