Raw food is theoretically food that has not been heated above 118 degrees (I think thats the right number, it might be 105). There is a distinction in the raw/living foods lifestyle between "raw" which is desirable, and "living" which is ideal. Living foods are those that are within a few days of harvest, or have recently sprouted from a dormant state. Sprouting foods such as nuts, seeds and grains releases enzymes and nutrients that aren't present when the food is dormant or cooked.

In order to create "cuisine" which isn't totally primitive by modern epicurean standards, raw foodists have developed a few different ways of making the raw foods a little more diverse and palatable. One of these is dehydrating. This, combined with rehydrating, food processing/pureeing, juicing, and various combinations of these methods gives you "Raw/Living Cuisine". FYI, most raw foodists are striclty vegan, and do not consider any animal product to be acceptable or healthy.

I enjoy many raw/living foods, but I don't subscribe to all of it. I think sushi is perfectly acceptable and healthy, and a damn sight better than cashew cheese or seed pate!