The first round of the inaugural Global Sushi Challenge begins in the United States on 17 May before moving on to 13 more countries and then a grand final in Tokyo in November.
Devised by the World Sushi Skills Institute and the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), the competition will then stage heats in Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain, England, Sweden, France and Norway.
Each round will result in the selection of a national winner who will go forward to compete in the grand final. As well as finding a global sushi champion, the competition aims to increase sushi knowledge and competence among chefs and consumers.
Speaking at the competition’s launch event in Norway, Amund Drønen Ringdal, state secretary from Norway’s Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, highlighted the success that Norwegian salmon has enjoyed in the Japanese market.
“It all started 30 years ago when a Norwegian delegation traveled to Japan to look for export opportunities for Norwegian seafood. In their luggage, they brought fresh salmon. Since then, the Japanese sushi tradition and the Norwegian salmon have developed together and become a culinary world trend,” he said.
Also at the launch, Hirotoshi Ogawa, a sushi chef from Tokyo and instructor at the World Sushi Skills Institute, gave a demonstration in making sushi.
“Hygiene is important, just like preparation techniques. The two first years of training for a Japanese sushi chef is all about hygiene and cleaning,” said Owawa. “It’s only after five years of training you may call yourself a sushi chef in Japan.”
