The California roll is a classic example of "American sushi," early fusion cuisine incorporating new ingredients into traditional Asian recipes. Food historians generally credit Ichiro Manashita, of the Tokyo Kaikan restaurant in Los Angeles, with "inventing" the California roll. The date is fuzzy, though most agree this item was available in the early 1970s.
"Sushi East and West. Many of the
foods ordinarily associated only with Western cuisine harmonize astonishingly well with sushi rice...You will find this hybrid "East-West" sushi can be expanded to include many new tempting treats suited to your family's tastes. One tasty variation is the California roll, a slender mat-rolled sushi containing crab, avocado and cucumber. It is a great favorite in Los Angeles sushi shops, has spread to New York and is making a debut in Tokyo too. The creamy, rich, slightly oily avocado has something in common with the taste of fatty tuna."
---The Book of Sushi, Kinjiro Omae and Yuzuru Tachibana [Kodansha International:Tokyo] 1981 (p. 76)
[NOTE: This book has an EXCELLENT history of sushi.]
"California roll....A form of sushi made with avocados, crabmeat, cucumbers and other ingredients wrapped in vinegared rice. It was supposedly created at a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles named Tokyo Kaikan about 1973 for the American palate but has also gained popularity in Japan, where it is called kashu-maki, a literal translation of "California roll."
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 53)
"California rolls, consisting of avocado, imitation crabmeat, and mayonnaise encased in rice with sesame seeds on the outside, are an excellent example of Japanese American food. The rolls were invented by Japanese chefs in Los Angeles during the 1970s for Americans who were squeamish about eating raw fish. California rolls became a popular addition to Japanese restaurant menus in the United States during the 1980s, and there were eventually exported back to Japan, although many sushi purists eschew them, as they were not a traditional Japanese food." ---Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith editor [Oxfod Univeristy Press:New York] 2004, Volume 1 (p. 728)
The earliest recipe we have on hand for California rolls was printed in a Japanese-American cookbook published in 1986. It reads as follows:
"California roll (4 servings)
Born in California, popularized by sushi chefs throughout the U.S., this sushi has also reached the shores of Japan, becoming a favorite with all sushi lovers. Its special filling of avocado, crab roe, sesame seeds, and cucumber make this roll beautiful and tasty.
4 crab sticks (steamed fish cake with crab flavor) or 1/4 pound cooked crab, shredded
1 small ripe avocado
1/2 European cucumber
2 sheets nori seaweed, toasted
4 cups Basic Sushi Rice
1 tablspoon wasabi paste
2 tablespoons crab roe
Slice crab sticks in half. Peel avocado and slice into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Slice cucumber into julienne strips, 4 to 5 inches long. To assemble the sushi roll, follow the instructions for Futo-maki-Zushi. You should have neat rows of crab, avocado, cucmber, and crab roe fillings laying across the bed of rice. Don't forget to sprinkle with sesame seeds before you rill. You can have the rice side out by ling a reverse roll. On a bamboo mat lay a well-wrung piece of cloth apporximately the same size as the mat. Take a handfull of sushi rice and spread it over the mat. Lay a sheet of nori seaweed on top of the rice. Then lay the fillings as you would for regular California roll and roll it carefully, pressing with your hands to mold the rice into a roll. Gently remove the bamboo mat, peeling off the cloth at the same time. Cut the roll as you would a regular sushi roll."
---The Poetical Pursuit of Food: Japanese Recipes for American Cooks, Sonoko Kondo [Clarkson Potter: New York] 1986 (p. 147)
The Tokyo Kaikan restaurant is still in business, though they do not seem to have e-mail. If you would like to speak directly to them:
Tokyo Kaikan
225 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, California USA
(213) 489-1333
Sushi went main-stream in America in the early 1980s, which may account for the lack of article/information about the California Rolls before that time. An article printed in the New York Times confirms:
"Zucchini slices dipped in light batter and crisply fried do not seem at all out of place on tempura platters served in Japanese restaurants in New York, yet zucchini is virtually unkown in Japan. Its use in this country is just one example of the adaptation that traditional Japanese cooking has been making to the products it encoutners as it becomes established abroad, especially in America. Another example of marrying Japanese techniques and American ingredients is the California roll. Loose sushi hand rolls are popular in Japan, but the version that calls for avocado, king crab meat, mayonnaise and rice wrapped in a sheet of papery black seaweed appeared in southern California sushi bars a few years ago. It has also become commonplace in New York and is apparently now being served in Japan as well."
---Adapting American Foods to Japanese Cuisine, Florence Fabricant, New York Times, October 6, 1982 (p. C1)
FROM THE CALIFORNIA SUSHI ACADEMY
"I was informed that the ingredients in the "California Roll" have not changed [since the 1970s]. The California Roll remains pretty much use the same ingredient. However, Ingredient in the California Rolls "Crab meat" may be substitute from the real crab meat to an imitation crab meat. It has an advantage and disadvantages. If, you enjoy the rich taste of a real crab meat and your body can tolerate its content, it is certainly a delightful and enjoyable roll. If, you prefer less cholesterol, the imitation crab may be suitable and the taste as the same as the real crab meat, almost..."
Research conducted by Lynne Olver, editor The Food Timeline. About this site
