Bratislava Sushi (source: Courtesy of the Japanese Embassy)
Bratislava, following the example of the largest cities in the USA, has lent its name to sushi rolls, with Japanese Ambassador to Slovakia, Jun Shimmi coming up with the idea of putting Slovak ingredients into this type of food. As a result, recipes for Bratislava sushi rolls and spicy bryndza (sheep’s cheese) rolls have been created.
The Japanese ambassador, who is a lover of traditional Slovak cuisine, would like to increase tourists’ knowledge about Bratislava and at the same time familiarise Slovaks with Japanese cuisine and sushi by using traditional Slovak ingredients, such as bacon, sheep’s cheese and cheese threads.
“I would like the Nipponese, Asians and even Europeans find out more about the charm and quality of Slovak products; more about Bratislava and Slovakia,” said Ambassador Jun Shimmi as cited by the TASR newswire. " I also want Slovaks to get to know our cuisine.”
When creating the recipes and deciding on the use of the capital’s name, Shimmi received informal support from Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriela Matečná, Bratislava regional governor Pavol Frešo and Bratislava mayor Ivo Nesrovnal.
"I must say that Slovaks know how to produce, but not how to sell and this is one way of selling Slovak products,” said Matečná. “It’s an unconventional taste for sushi. You can detect roasted bacon and chives in it, these are quite distinctive flavours, but for those who do not like raw fish it’s an excellent alternative.”
Bratislava rolls, as well as the rice, contain roasted bacon, red pepper, cheese threads and chives. The piquant bryndza also contains bacon, this time combined with bryndza, hot pepper and chives.
Among the most famous sushi rolls that are named after a city or state are Californian rolls stuffed with avocado and shrimp, specified the Japanese ambassador. They’ve become popular even in Japan and now form part of the menus of many sushi restaurants around the world. Bratislava sushi rolls might be the first in Europe to be named after a European city.
