What is Sushi?

When some people hear the word “sushi” they think of raw fish. In reality, if you go to any sushi bar and look at all the seafood choices, only a small handful will be actually raw. Sushi is actually an all-encompassing term that contains vinegared rice combined with other ingredients such as cooked and raw seafood, vegetables, and fruits. The ingredients will vary depending on what you order, but the common component is the rice, also known as shari or sumeshi. It will be medium-grain or short-grain rice; and will most likely be white instead of brown rice. Even though sushi fish may look raw, most of it has already been prepared in some fashion. This can include the fish being blanched, pickled, or soaked in Sake, and then frozen. Freezing freshly caught fish is a must due to the natural parasites and bacteria found on the fish.

Above all, sushi is an art. There are special preparations for serving sushi. It is always served with wasabi, pickled ginger (known as gari), and soy sauce. In sashimi, lemon slices and daikon are often used to add to the color and presentation.

Types of Sushi

In spelling “sushi”, the first letter is replaced with z and a prefix is attached, such as “chirashizushi” due to a consonant mutation called “rendaku” in Japanese. The following are the major sushi types you will find at restaurants:

  • Sashimi (sashimizushi) – Sashimi is thickly sliced (about 1 inch) fish usually served on a plate by itself to enhance the aesthetic of the serving. Sashimi is always raw fish, whether it be salmon, tuna, Hamachi, etc. Occasionally, a shiso leave is put on the plate and grated daikon is used to prop up the sashimi from the bottom. Ginger and wasabi are put on the side of the plate or up against the fish. It can be further garnished with lemon slices in between the slices. One order at a restaurant contains 3 pieces
  • Nigiri (nigirizushi) – Nigiri is a piece of fish (or other food) on top of a ball of rice and sometimes wrapped in a thin piece of nori. The nori is used to hold the fish and rice together or to provide contrasting aesthetics. Types of food that can be used is unagi, salmon, tamago. etc; if it can be sliced and balanced, it can be placed as nigiri. One order consists of 2 pieces
  • Gunkanmaki – Gunkanmaki is another form of nigiri. Gunkan means “boat”; this type of sushi gets its name from how it is structured. A thick (2.5 inches wide) nori is wrapped around a ball of rice that fills up half way and the main ingredient is put on top and overflows the nori. It is mainly filled with tobiko and Uni, but can be filled with chopped fish such as spicy salmon or tuna. One order contains 2 pieces
  • Chirashi (chirashizushi) – Chirashi is a type of sushi that contains one serving of rice in a bowl and an assorted amount of sliced fish laid out on top. The fish is thinner cut than sashimi. It is a popular order among restaurants due to the variety of fish served and the cheapness compared to other sushi
  • Uramaki (regular sushi roll) – Uramaki is a sushi roll with rice on the outside; it can referred to as an inside-out roll due to nori and ingredients being on the inside and rice on the outside. This is the typical sushi roll you find at all sushi restaurants. If a restaurant doesn’t specify it is a small or large roll, then it is just a regular uramaki roll. One order is usually 8 pieces
  • Hosomaki (thin sushi roll) – Hosomaki is a thin rolled sushi with a small amount of rice. Most common and popular versions of this are kappa cucumber rolls (kappamaki) and tekka tuna rolls (tekkamaki), which contain just rice and a small amount of cucumber or tuna. The nori is almost always on the outside; opposite of a regular maki roll. One order contains 8 pieces
  • Futomaki (big sushi roll) – Futomaki is a fat sushi roll with many ingredients inside. Popular futomaki rolls are spider rolls with tempura crab and other ingredients; and the original futomaki roll with only vegetables inside. Nori can be seen on the outside or inside. One order is cut into 5 large pieces
  • Temaki (hand roll) – Temaki is a hand roll that is held and eaten light an ice cream cone. It has a little amount of rice on the inside to hold it together and is securely wrapped with ingredients ranging from cucumber to fish. The rough side of the nori, like all other rolls, is on the inside, so the outside texture of the nori is smooth when handled