Sushi sans fish: How rural traditions led to vegan-friendly rolls

I take a small quantity of vinegared rice in my palm and deftly form it into an rectangular mound. I gently press on the topping and am stuffed with a way of accomplishment as I stare upon my tray of colourful bite-size creations.

“Properly accomplished — they give the impression of being very appetizing, don’t they?” says teacher Mika Nakayama, as we supply our handiwork to the close by eating desk and sit down for lunch.

I’m within the village of Hidaka, Kochi Prefecture, about 16 kilometers west of the prefectural capital of Kochi Metropolis, to take part in a sushi-making expertise. On Shikoku’s southern coast, Hidaka isn’t to date faraway from the ocean, and the village can be thought-about the gateway to the close by Niyodo River, however on the sushi in entrance of me, there isn’t a lot as a scrap of seafood to be seen.