Talk:California roll

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Contents 1 California roll in Japan 2 Tojo and the invention of the California roll 3 It's "Mashita" not "Manashita" 4 Regional variations

[edit] California roll in Japan

I know that the rolls are popular across the United States and in Asia outside of Japan (especially in South Korea) but is there any reference for how popular it is within Japan?

I think that is a next step for this article: to explain its role, popularity (or lack of) in Japan. I actually got the impression (from reading newspaper articles while researching the California roll) that it is one of the few American-type rolls that are made by very traditional chefs; that's certainly been my experience in restaurants in the U.S. I will try and find more reliable info. --Chan-Ho (Talk) 14:03, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Tojo and the invention of the California roll

I couldn't find any sources for Tojo inventing the roll other than his own claims and some news sources repeating his claims. On the other hand, Tojo seems quite well-known and for inventing a variety of rolls, and the roll is IMHO an inevitable invention, so it's quite possible for various sushi chefs to have come up with this independently at the same time. In any case, given the lack of sources (which others are of course free to add), I've rephrased the relevant passage as "Tojo claims...".

I should add that Manashita's claim is perhaps not all too strong either, but at least there are some early sources supporting the Los Angeles origin and a couple pinpointing Manashita and his restaurant.

I've also omitted mention of some of Tojo's other rolls, as that is not really appropriate for an article about the California roll. It might be a good idea to reserve that info for an article on Tojo. --Chan-Ho (Talk) 11:34, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

I live in Vancouver myself. I think I'm going to do a little research and try to find the earliest mention of the "Tojo Maki", while someone from LA researches the "California Roll" and we can see which chef truly invented the dish. Vancouver had quite a vibrant food culture in the 70s so I assume at least one food critic would have written about it. --Ingoman 04:42, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

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I've removed this from the article for now:

Hidekazu Tojo's claim however, is disputed. There is an absence of any reference to such a variety of roll by Mr. Tojo prior to Mr. Manashita's introduction of the roll in the early 1970s. Further, the ingredients used in making a "California Roll" are not indigenous to Vancouver, where Mr. Tojo resided at the time, which further places into question his claims.

I suspect it to be Original Research; I wasn't able to find sources making these points. If reputable sources are cited for the material, it should be put back in. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 22:45, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] It's "Mashita" not "Manashita"

Whatever the original source article was, they got his name wrong.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/53630?user_name=&query=mashita

One of the comments on the post is from his son.

Great. One of the comments also had a link to [1] which has his correct name and also some further info on the original California roll. It would be great if somebody went and looked through the Rafu Shimpo newspaper archives for articles on Mashita. --Chan-Ho (Talk) 10:42, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Regional variations

I removed the following from the article:

• In the Philippines, the avocado is replaced with mango and the outer layer of rice is almost always sprinkled with tobiko; it is known as the California Roll. However, such rolls with cucumber instead of mango also exist, commonly known as the Santa Monica Roll.

The popularity of sushi in North American has resulted in an explosion of off-shoots. Numerous inside-out rolls are being invented and popularized. Regional variations feature ingredients common to or representative of the area they are named after.

• The B.C. roll features B.C. salmon.
• the Philadelphia roll uses cream cheese as an ingredient.
• The dynamite roll includes prawn tempura.
• The rainbow roll features a layer of various sashimi outside of the rice.
• Other rolls include scallops, spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, beef or chicken teriyaki, shrimp, cheese (in France), and okra and are usually named after their ingredients.
• Some rolls are now made with brown rice or even black rice.

This isn't really about the California roll anymore; these aren't "variations" but actually different rolls. It might be worth mentioning its influence on the creation of other rolls. In that case, some of this info should be useful, which is why I've moved it here. --Chan-Ho (Talk) 10:50, 23 July 2006 (UTC)