A Short guide to Sushi: History, Types and Ingredients

For those who are fond of eating Japanese cuisine, sushi is not strange to them. But even for Sushi fans it is sometimes hard to distinguish all the Japanese names and Sushi types. Most Sushi types have in common, that they are composed of cooked rice with vinegar which is usually topped with another ingredient such as raw fish or seafood. The ingredients are then rolled tightly with the use of a bamboo mat. We prepared a short guide for you, which should help you to understand, what these other ingredients actually are.

Sushi Trivia and History

Initially, sushi was first developed to be a snack food. Based on historical books, sushi was served to gambling parlors so that these people could continue the action without having to suffer being hungry.

The Difference Between Sashimi and Sushi

Most people often get confused with sushi and sashimi. And this confusion has often resulted to people getting disappointed once their orders arrive. This instance is particularly true once the menu of the restaurant does not contain pictures of the food they serve. To make things clear, sashimi refers to a dish plainly composed of raw fish served with a bowl containing regular boiled rice as a side dish. Meanwhile, sushi is vinegared rice mixed with seafood, egg, and vegetables.

Types of Sushi

Aside from the simple rice and nori roll, sushi has other types which depend on how they have been rolled. Main types are the following:

• Nigiri-sushi – made of fish slices or other items placed on a pad of rice.
• Chirashi-sushi – a bowl of vinegared rice served with fish or other items on top.
• Maki-sushi – rolled inside or around a dried and pressed sheet of nori.
• Inari-sushi – toppings stuffed into small pouches of fried tofu, also known as stuffed sushi.
• Fukusa-sushi or Chakin- zushi – stuffed sushi that has ingredients wrapped inside a thin egg crepe.
• Oshi-sushi – rectangles or squares of pressed rice with a topping of cooked or vinegared fish. Usually, this has been made in a wooden mold.
• Bara- sushi – ingredients are mixed in a bowl as a salad
• Futomaki – a large roll of Maki which has several different ingredients that use Nori.
• Nigiri sushi – a slice of cooked or raw fish or vegetables is placed on top of vinegared rice.
• Onigiri– regular steamed rice rolled into a ball with another ingredient in the middle.
• Temaki – cone shaped seaweed rolls, they are also known as hand rolls.