Many people think that “sushi” is synonymous with raw fish. Not so – the term actually refers to the vinegared rice that is an essential part of sushi meals. This rice is made by dissolving sugar and maybe a touch of salt in rice vinegar and then tossing this liquid with the hot, just-cooked rice. This rice is used to make the rolls and other items that you typically order at a sushi restaurant.
The term sushi therefore refers to vinegared rice (called shari or sushi-meshi) served with other ingredients. These ingredients may or may not include fish; egg and vegetable are popular, and of course many kinds of sushi include seasoned dried seaweed, or nori. The fish may be raw or cooked; eel and shrimp are always cooked in my experience.
Raw fish served by itself without the rice is called sashimi. Sashimi itself is not sushi, although it is typically available at sushi restaurants.
There are several kinds of sushi, or ways of serving it. Here is a quick run-down:
- Maki sushi: Rice and fillings are rolled into a cylinder inside a sheet of seaweed (nori) and then sliced into bite-size pieces.
- Nigiri sushi: Rice is hand-formed into small oval mounds and topped with sliced fish, egg, etc.
- Te-maki sushi: Hand rolled sushi provides sheets of nori, vinegared rice, and various fillings. Each diner then “hand rolls” the seaweed into a conical shape containing the rice and fillings. It is eaten sort of like an ice cream cone (see photo below).
- Chirashi zushi: A bowl or box of vinegared rice scattered with a variety of toppings such as raw fish, vegetables, and egg.
- Oshi sushi: Rice and other ingredients are pressed into a mold and then cut into blocks or rectangles.
- Inari sushi: Vinegared rice stuffed into pockets of seasoned fried tofu.
Te-maki sushi