How to eat sushi

Sushi is made small so you don’t have to bite into it. The exceptions are molded sushi, which can be bitten in half pieces, and temaki sushi. Some types of sushi, such as rolls, are simply impossible to bite into without destroying the entire structure. The sauce should be dipped on top of the sushi, not the rice, and placed on top of the tongue. A more elegant way is to dip pickled ginger in the sauce and smear the top layer of sushi, then place the sushi with the sauce on your tongue.

If you plan to eat several types of sushi, start with rolls or temaki, because the nori in which these types of sushi are wrapped can lose its crispiness while you enjoy other treats. Although ginger is meant to prepare your palate for a new taste, don’t overdo it or you risk not feeling anything at all.

Sushi can be eaten with your hands or with chopsticks. Modern Japanese etiquette dictates that women eat only with chopsticks, while men can choose whether to eat with chopsticks or hands. Centuries ago in Japan, noble people ate everything except soup with chopsticks, while poor people ate with their hands. Noble women could never eat with their hands, while noble men had to eat only with their hands. This custom survives in traditional Japanese families to this day. Where did this division come from? It is believed that the noble men, visiting geisha in tea houses, had to eat with their hands to keep themselves within the bounds of propriety. After all, dirty hands stained geisha kimono could cost him a fortune. Warriors, on the other hand, were only supposed to eat with chopsticks so that they could grab a sword at any time. Women should not get their hands dirty for the same reason: to quickly get a dagger and stand up for themselves.

Types of modern sushi

It is impossible to list all types of sushi in modern Japan, because each area has its own distinctive recipes with specific products, and each recipe has its own name. Let’s take a look at the main types of sushi.

Nigiri sushi consists of a piece of rice slightly smaller than a chicken egg and a piece of fish or other seafood. The rice is formed with your fingers. A little wasabi is spread between the components. Often the entire structure is tied with a strip of nori.

Maki sushi, norimaki or rolls are the most popular sushi in the world because they are convenient, beautiful and allow you to improvise with the ingredients. Maki sushi is a roll of rice wrapped in nori and cut into thin circles. Anything can be used as a filling.

Hoso maki – very thin rolls, up to 3 cm in diameter.

Kappa maki – thin rolls with cucumber, usually served as a refresher after raw fish sushi or other ingredients that taste bright.

Tekka maki – thin rolls with tuna fillets and wasabi. Supposedly originated with avid gamers who didn’t want to interrupt the game for food.

Negitoro maki are thin rolls with finely chopped tuna and green onions.

Futo maki – thick rolls, about 5 cm. in diameter, containing several ingredients.

Ura maki are rolls inside out, with the rice on the outside. Ura maki is rare in Japan, but in America it is much more popular than traditional rolls.

Gunkan-maki (from the word “battleship”) is similar to nigiri-sushi in that it is also a lump of rice, but wrapped with a nori sheet around the perimeter so that there is room on top for other ingredients: caviar, fish, crab, greens, and salads.

Temaki-sushi – rice and other ingredients are wrapped in a nori cone about 10 cm long and served as a whole, without cutting it into pieces. Temaki-sushi is usually made at the table, selecting ingredients from those offered, and eaten with the hands because the cone is not fixed.

Fukusa sushi consists of traditional ingredients, but is not wrapped in nori but in a very thin omelet, and is therefore rectangular in shape. In some areas, such sushi is called chakin sushi.

Inari sushi is a bag of fried tofu filled with rice and vegetables.

Oshi sushi are store-bought pressed sushi consisting of several layers of rice and fish.

Temari sushi – balls of rice filled with fish or vegetables. Recommended for beginners.

Bara sushi – a salad of rice and other ingredients seasoned with vinegar.

Chirashi sushi – a festive meal of scattered rice and seafood and vegetables arranged beautifully on top of a plate.