The All-Japan Sushi Federation, an organization of Japanese sushi chefs, is launching a worldwide certification course in order to teach international chefs the proper way to prepare the raw fish. Improperly handled sushi can cause food poisoning, and the Japanese chefs worry that this will damage the reputation of their specialty cuisine.
Working with raw fish requires some special accommodations. "It gets unhygienic if you deal with raw salt-water fish in a kitchen without water running constantly for cleaning," explains Masayoshi Kazat, the award-winning sushi chef who devised the training system.
Representing sushi restaurants in Japan, the All-Japan Sushi Federation will begin its global training mission with a course at the end of January in Singapore. Over the next year, further seminars will be held in London, Los Angles and San Francisco.
Developed in Japan over 200 years ago, sushi has become one of the country’s staple dishes, and has experienced tremendous growth in international popularity.