Think You Know Sushi?

Test your sushi knowledge with this fun sushi quiz:

1) Which specialty sushi roll was invented in America?:

a) the spider roll

b)
the rainbow roll

c)
the California roll

2) What gives most sushi-bar salmon that bright orange
color?

a)
their diet of krill and plankton

b) their genes

c) food coloring

3) What gives most sushi-bar tuna that bright red color?

a) hemoglobin

b) mercury

c) carbon monoxide

4) Which religious organization makes millions from sales of fish
to the sushi market?

a)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

b) Jehovah’s Witnesses

c) The Unification Church (the Moonies)

5) Which popular sushi fish is banned in Japan?

a) fugu (blowfish)

b) koi (goldfish)

c) matsu (super white tuna)

6) That little wedge of green putty on your sushi boat is
most likely:

a)
real wasabi – "Wasabia japonica"

b)
fake wasabi

c) Play-Doh

Answers:

1. All of the above. Those high-fat specialty rolls are an
American invention.

2.c Most sushi bar salmon is farm-raised on a diet of fish
meal. Two chemicals, astaxanthin and canthaxanthin are commonly added to their
diet to give them the orange color of wild-caught salmon. The European Union
recently set limits on the use of canthaxanthin, because it can damage eyesight
in high doses/

3. Raw tuna, whether fresh or previously frozen, quickly
turns brown. If your tekka maki is bright red, the odds are pretty good that it
has been treated with carbon monoxide. The ever-vigilant Food and Drug
Administration permits the practice, but, according to the New York Times,
carbon monoxide treatment is banned in Canada, Japan and the European Union
because it can be used to conceal spoilage.

4. c According to a detailed investigative report in the
Chicago Tribune, most of America’s estimated 9,000 sushi restaurants get their
raw fish from a company called True World, which is a subsidiary of Unification
Church International, a company with close ties to the church.

5. c. Matsu, often sold as "white tuna" or "super white
tuna" isn’t actually tuna at all – it’s escolar, also known as snake mackerel
or walu. Its fat contains waxy esters
that can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea and oily orange
leakage. Because of these side effects, it has been banned in Japan since 1977.

6. b. Odds are, it’s fake wasabi, a cheap blend of
horseradish, mustard and food coloring. Real wasabi, wasabia japonica,
which has a more subtle flavor, is hard to grow and very expensive – up to $100
a pound.