The Brazilian Sushi Experience
There are times when the thought of some heavy Brazilian or European food just doesn’t do it for me. I feel hungry but can’t quite work out what it is that I want to eat. Then it comes to me – sushi! Light but also satisfying. The clean, fresh taste of fish, the salty tang of soy, the burn of wasabi, the vinegar edge to the pickled ginger. All washed down with a crisp beer or a glass or two of sake. Yum!
Yummy sushi selection platter. Great when it’s hot. Also great when you have a hangover (or is that just me?).
I wouldn’t want to eat sushi every day, but if I go more than a few weeks without, I start to get cravings. Luckily for me, sushi is very popular in Brazil, most likely due to the huge Japanese Brazilian community (the largest Japanese population outside of Japan) based primarily in the states of São Paulo and Paraná.
Before I go any further I should tell you that I have never been to Japan. I am dying to go, but so far the opportunity hasn’t arisen. The reason I mention it is that I want to make it clear that what I’m about to say is not about ‘authenticity’. I am perfectly happy to believe that what the British commonly refer to as ‘sushi’ is just as unauthentic as what the Brazilians call ‘sushi’ (maybe even more so). OK? So moving on, I want to tell you about the aspects of the Brazilian sushi experience that I find interesting/unusual.
Hot Philadelphia
This is Hot Philadelphia:
Cream cheese and salmon in a rice roll, wrapped in nori seaweed and then deep fried in a light batter.
I’m interested to know what you’re thinking about the idea of Hot Philadelphia. My guess is that if you’re Brazilian you are saying “Er, yes. Hot Philadelphia. What is your point?”. People from the UK are saying “What?! Cream cheese? In sushi?! Wrong!”. I have no idea about other countries, but I suspect this is a Brazilian/Latin American thing.
Hot Philadelphia is an absolute standard here. I’m sure if you go somewhere really fancy, perhaps they won’t serve it, but every normal Brazilian sushi place has it on the menu. At first I was deeply against Hot Philadelphia, but I have to admit that I will happily eat one or two now without thinking much of it. When done well they are still fairly light, with a crispy coating and an extra creamy hit which can be rather good (but when done badly they are revolting).
The Mango California Roll
Ah, the California Roll. The classic example of non-Japanese sushi. Developed in California (the clue’s in the name), this is now a global favourite that is credited with helping the popularity of sushi spread through North America and on into Europe. Back in the late 60s, Ichiro Mashita had the idea of using avocado in a sushi roll in place of toro (fatty tuna). Regardless of whether they eat it in Japan or not, I think a decent California Roll can be pretty tasty. But get this: Here in Brazil they don’t use avocado in their California Rolls. They substitute it for mango. Bleurgh! I don’t know why they do it – there are plenty of avocados here! And as far as I know, no one likes the mango version!
Believe it. Mango. In a California Roll. Disappointing.
Koni Cones
Once people get comfortable with a new food, what is the next step? The fast food version of course! Here in Rio you will find branches of the Koni Store dotted around the wealthier parts of town. As the name suggests, their speciality is with those biggish cones, properly known as temaki. Maybe referring to them as ‘fast food’ is a little unfair. They strike me more as formulaic and a little gimicky, but they’re not nearly in the realms of the really disgusting fast food chains. In fact some of their offerings look pretty decent:
Salmon, sesame seeds, sushi rice. Doesn’t look so bad does it?
I have to confess, I haven’t been into a Koni Store. Something about the lighting and layout really puts me off:
The typical Koni Store interior. I just don’t want to eat in an environment that is this orange.
Chocolate Sushi
OK, so I am exaggerating a little here. I don’t think chocolate sushi is exactly a standard sushi menu item, even in Brazil. But it made me chuckle when I saw these on the Koni Store website. Who wants to eat chocolate after sushi? Don’t answer that…
I can’t help imagining stinky salmon hiding at the bottom of the cone. Urgh.
SUSHI! YES!
The Philadelphia is actually very common here in the States. It’s one of the types of Sushi you can bet on being on the menu, and yes, they use CREAM CHEESE!!! I have never eaten it, because I find the idea of cream cheese on sushi revolting and super-unauthentic, but since you gave it a good review, maybe I’ll try it out….
The Koni stores look extremely ”chique”, too chique for me to want to go in, just like you. Rio is getting super uppity these days, isn’t it?
Maybe I overdid it with my recommendation for the Hot Philadelphia – it ain’t all that. More of a guilty pleasure.
And if you think Rio is getting uppity now, imagina na copa! ;)
HAHAHA imagina na copa hahaha. love that video
The Koni Store is what the Blue Oyster Bar would look like if transformed into a sushi establishment.
Btw, “the salty tang of soy, the burn of wasabi, the vinegar edge to the pickled ginger”: yeah, perhaps sushi isn’t the only Japanese export which intrigues you.
Oh, you forgot to mention the soup that comes with the sushi. I just love it. Honestly, I think it’s better than the sushi.
Man, I don’t think I’ll ever get over “the vinegar edge to the pickled ginger”. I mean who writes that???
Gritty, I know exactly what you’re saying – what am I doing writing on this humble blog? My talents should be deployed daily in the food section of some quality broadsheet publication. Life is full of injustices like this…
RE the soup – you mean Miso? With the seaweed and the little cubes of tofu? Man I LOVE Miso soup! Also an amazing hangover cure.
Yes: The Miso Soup (oh lovely seaweed how I adore thee). Now that is something deserving of poetry. As for your pickled ginger perversion . . .
hahahah what a coincidence, this week I did home made sushi because I miss the bloody cream cheese on it! lol I posted it on my blog, my husband – who is english – doesnt eat the sushi with cream cheese, but he loves brazilian sushi in general!
Hey Larissa – that is a funny coincidence isn’t it?! And that sushi looks great – very professional! :)
Ugh so much cream cheese and fruit…have you seen the ones with strawberries? Barf. Though I gotta say I find the whole Asian food situation here a complete relief after Colombia and Argentina…(as you can imagine re:Colombia, as my dad says, the great thing about being a country with lots of refugees– meaning the US– is that they bring all of their great food with them. Colombia=not traditionally appealing to refugees/immigrants for unfortunately obvious reasons)
Strawberries? Seriously? No no no…
You (and your Dad) are right about that – refugees/immigrants make an excellent contribution to food culture (amongst other things). You just need to wander around Melbourne, London, New York, etc. to appreciate the fact.
Sorry mate, this cream cheese and mango business doesn’t sound Brazilian at all. In fact, I saw similar offerings in a London takeaway the other day:
http://www.shiso-london.com/maki.html
Personally, I just stick to good old salmon.
It’s been a while but I don’t remember seeing any of this stuff in Sao Paulo so I wonder if it’s another case of the old “ketchup and mustard on pizza” divide that separates Paulistanos from the rest of the country.
Andrew, I’m with you on that – Salmon is a winner.
But I have only ever seen California Rolls in Brazil made with mango. Mori Sushi (of SP) lists the ingredients of California Roll as being “Pepino, frutas e kani”.
I would like to start an international movement to banish cream cheese (and mayo! – yuck!) from all sushi type food.
I’m sure that someone from Japan would step in at this point and say “none of the junk you call sushi is proper sushi anyway!” and I’m sure they’d have a point.
One place I know they do serve excellent sushi is Edokko, hidden down a backstreet in Holborn, London. Highly recommended if you get the chance :)
Actually, Japan did set up the sushi police years ago but I guess it didn’t catch on:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/35573fb2-adab-11db-8709-0000779e2340.html#axzz1zqSucqsf
Ooh, also – which city puts mustard on pizza? Is that a Paulistano thing?! I’d be up for trying it, especially with some kind of meat-laden topping… Hmmm, I think it must be lunchtime! :D
No, the other way around! :)
Paulistanos routinely mock the rest of the country for squirting ketchup and mustard on their pizzas. Are you saying you’ve never seen that happen in Rio? (The squirting, not the mocking)
You wouldn’t find condiments other than olive oil (does that count as a condiment?) in a pizzeria in Sao Paulo and you’d probably receive some condescending smiles if you asked for any (but still a firm “no).
Ah ha ha! Nice one Andrew, that made me laugh! I should have known! The fact that I would be up for trying it is probably because I have been in Rio for so long!! :D I haven’t noticed it, but I can believe it. I guess that when pizza slips below a certain standard, it needs all the condiment-help it can get!
Wonderful post! All of my Brazilian friends in the U.S. were always talking about the Hot philadelphia so I had to try one when I got here. The result… meh. Take it or leave it. I’m not a huge fan but I can eat it. I really enjoy just plain old spicy tuna and spicy salmon. I feel like here, in Brazil, the sushi seems healthier and a lot more authentic. (I’ve also never been to Japan.) At my favorite sushi joint back home there are lots of fried rolls, rolls with fruit, rolls with crab meat (imitation, of course) and mayo. It doesn’t strike me as authentic Japanese. The sushi I find here in SP is usually seaweed wrap, rice and salmon or tuna. That seems a lot more like it.
Hehehe and by the way, the only person I know that eats ketchup on their pizza is a good friend of mine from Manaus. I don’t really see anyone do it here in SP, although I’ve heard that too.
Hi Susan! Thanks for dropping by :) RE Hot Philadelphia, I’ll eat one or two, but I certainly wouldn’t be pining for them if they weren’t on the menu. I bet the general standard of sushi (and other Japanese food) must be really high in São Paulo – jealous!
There is one place here in Rio that have heard is great (Sushi Leblon) but so far I haven’t been – maybe I’ll drop some heavy hints when my birthday is approaching! ;)
Here in Canada Philadelphia rolls also come with cream cheese. I actually quite love them. Chocolate sushi though? That’s a new one. And Mango centres? Well I guess they have to use up mango somehow… why not?
“why not?” – because they’re yucky! Hee hee, just kidding! :D I’m all for innovation/experimentation where food is concerned. The last place we went (where the first photo is from) had some interesting sounding starters – we tried a couple because it feels a bit boring to just order the same old thing every time. I’ve got to say though, the ‘interesting’ starters didn’t really work. I’ll probably just stick to the same old (delicious) thing next time!
Why you express your opinion in a way that the food is disgusting looking? I think that’s wrong, if you don’t like the food, simply don’t make the post, so here we eat, disgusting and not think like you expressed in posts: ”Disappointing” ” Bleurgh!” Give your opinion in a way that does not appear that certain types of food that we eat seem to be disgusting, and about the ”orange place”, why not?? Take care. -.-
Hi Julio,
Thanks for your comment. One of the features of this blog is that I highlight the differences between Rio and London. I hope that the tone I use is informal, non-judgemental, relaxed and friendly.
Rio and London are different. And that’s OK! It’s a positive thing – it’s what makes travel interesting! There are aspects of British culture that Brazilians don’t like. When my wife sees me eating Marmite, she makes noises like she is about to vomit! She hates it! ;) That doesn’t stop me liking it and it doesn’t offend me.
Do you like California Rolls with mango? If the answer is yes then why don’t you tell me why I’m wrong? Instead of being sensitive about a little friendly criticism, tell me why California Rolls with mango are the best!
I don’t want to offend anyone. But if it is acceptable for me to give my many positive opinions about the food, culture and other aspects of Brazil, then why not not give a negative opinion occasionally? Or you only want to hear positive things? 95% of what I say about Rio and Brazil is positive. Let me know what you think – I am interested to hear your thoughts! :)
Abraço, Tom
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Oi Julio,
Obrigado pelo seu comentario. Uma das características deste blog é que eu destaco as diferencas entre Rio e Londres (Brasil e Inglaterra). Espero que o tom que eu uso é informal, sem julgamento, descontraído e amigavel.
Rio e Londres são diferente. E isso é tudo bem! É uma coisa positiva – por isso viajando é interessante! Há aspectos de cultura inglês que brasileiros não gostam. Quando minha mulher me vê comendo Marmite, ela faz sons como ela vai vomitar! Ela odeia! ;) Isso não vai me parar gostando Marmite e não me ofender.
Você gosta dos California Rolls com manga? Se sua resposta é sim, por que você naõ me diga por que estou errado? Em vez de ser sensível sobre um pouco de crítica, me diga por que California Rolls são ótimos!
Não quero ofender ninguem. Mas se é aceitavel para eu dar minhas muitas opiniões positivas sobre a comida, cultura e outras coisas brasileiras, então porque não posso dar uma opinião negativa ocasionalmente? Você só quer ouvir coisas positiva? A grande maioria das coisas que eu falo sobre Rio e Brasil são positiva. Me diga o que você acho sobre isso – estou interessado! :)
A man-hug,
Tom
Julio seriously,
Do two things before you start commenting and criticizing other people’s freedom of speech and expression. 1) Learn English, If your reading and comprehension skills are as bad as your writing skills, that might be the biggest reason for your misguided response to the guy’s sushi experience. 2) Get a life!.. The last time I checked we are still a free people to talk and/or write about our own experiences as we see fit. Maybe Tom should keep on writing and you should just stop reading, ever thought of that?
Tom,
Another great post. I have to say, you have the MOST POSITIVE blog about Brazil I have ever read.
Not to mention you are a classy guy, and treat all subjects about Brazil the the up most respect and dignity.
Regarding the MANGO in a sushi, I am not a fan either, but I have to say, it is very popular in the US as well, MANGO has actually been showing up in the most unusual places. I just recently had a MANGO Margarita and loved it.
The cream cheese in sushi is also popular in New England.
If I had to guess, I would say Brazilians might be resistant to avocado in any salty food what so ever, remember, avocados for us means CONDENSED MILK and ice in a blender, and also mashed up with sugar and a little lime juice over it.
I am a big fan of avocados on sushi or any other food by the way, I know, I am Americanized beyond repair, I think. :)
Abracos
Ray
Rio sushi is horrible! There I said it. Ive been to Japan, I’ve lived in Chicago and Los Angeles and dined at their finest sushi places. It’s top notch. Take the best one here in Rio, sushi leblon, tenkai, whatever, and I refuse to eat it except after a few month absence when I just need to have some sushi and then when I’m eating it I immediately start regretting it. If sushi in Japan is a 10, rio is honestly a 4. And some sushi trivia for you, salmon is not even on the menu in any form in japanese sushi restaurants. Don’t ask me why but every sushi place i went to in tokyo did not serve salmon. and i dont recall spicy tuna rolls either…
Ha ha! Now you’ve gone and done it Mike! ;) I guess my standards are pretty low: give me some fresh fish, wasabi, pickled ginger an soy sauce and I’m a happy man! I haven’t tried sushi leblon yet, but I heard good things from friends. Anyway, my guess is that the Brazilian food in Japan probably isn’t up to much either :) I only tried one Brazilian place London and it wasn’t good at all…
I have a question. Why is Brazilian sushi rice very sweet? Do they add sugar? Normally people in Japan don’t put sugar in their rice.
Hi David! Yes, they do add sugar – after doing a bit of searching it seems that it’s not just here in Brazil that this is done, but I can well believe that they add far more here than in other places. And as you say, it sounds like, traditionally, no sugar was added to sushi rice in Japan.