Sushi Bakes seems to be the latest gastronomic trend in home kitchens. Just like banana bread and Dalgona coffee, Sushi bakes have been around since the early days of lockdown. The sushi bake craze went viral and started showing up on social media feeds in early 2020. The dish has all the hallmarks of food concoction waiting to be brought to a potluck… remember those?!?
What is a sushi bake?
Warm, rich and creamy, a sushi bake has all the components of the classic Californian Roll but is baked in a casserole pan! The dish consists of layers of rice, Furikaki (Japanese rice seasoning), a mixture of cooked salmon, mayo, cream cheese, and fish roe. Once baked, cooled and set, portions are scooped up and served with seaweed.
The Origin Of Sushi Bakes
Stats from Google trends show that sushi bakes showing up in searches from Guam in the Mariana Islands and the Philippines as early as 2005. Further investigation, however, shows that the concept of baked sushi might have started in Canada of all places. More specifically, in Manitoba. On this graph, “sushi bake” has a higher concentration of interest, meaning more Canada citizens knew about it than the graph of the Philippines and Guam.
The earliest sushi bake recipe proof to be from The Tasty Island by Pomai, dating back to January 14, 2011.
Quarantine’s Hottest Food Trend
The sushi bake craze resurfaced in 2020 when a celebrity nail artist in the Philippines’s side hustle turned into a viral sensation. During the Covid pandemic lockdown somewhere in April 2020 Mimi Qui Reyes started selling this dish to local celebrities. It was an instant hit and spread like wildfire amongst their fans and followers. The rest is viral history!