It might not come as a surprise that sushi would be considered a sacred food by Penguinists, but the reason might surprise you.
First, sushi is not raw fish. Sushi refers to the seasoned rice itself. While raw fish is a common ingredient used in sushi, cooked fish and vegetables are also quite common.
Sushi is sacred for a few reasons. Rice itself is a staple food for a large portion of the world. It is also one of the oldest domesticated crops, with rice domestication occurring some 10,000 years ago in Asia. In Japan, an agricultural system known as the “satoyama” method literally creates an artificial biome for rice and food production. A lot of wildlife depends on these artificial biomes for their survival, as they have evolved to utilize them.
Additionally, sushi, like much of what is made in Japan, is about simplicity and execution. Traditional sushi has only one or two ingredients, in addition to the rice. Sushi chefs train for years to make quality sushi.
Another food that is common for Penguinists to eat is onigiri, or rice balls, which is just a ball of rice and one or two ingredients, such as kombu, or sesame seeds, or what we consider to be the favourite of Sq’wak, mentaiko (spicy cod roe).
