Sushi arrived many years ago in the West and became one of our favorite dishes because of its taste, freshness and particular format, which stimulates both taste and sight.
Now, if you are a foodie sushi addict, you will have noticed that not everything in this unique dish is the same and that there are different types of sushi according to its there are different types of sushi according to its presentation, ingredientsingredients and preparation. We explain everything so that you can become a sushi expert.
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What is sushi
Sushi is a type of cuisine that we know as Japanese.although its true origins are in ancient China, where fish was preserved with mold obtained from fermented rice that was not eaten. Doesn’t sound appetizing, does it? In any case, it is thanks to the Japanese adopting it as their own and evolving this dish, that today we have the pleasure of eating the different types of sushi and enjoying its very special taste.
You will be surprised to know that when we explain what sushi is, we are not talking about fish as the main ingredient, but actually about a rice dish that is eaten in combination with other ingredients (such as fish) which are given specific shapes as rolls that become the sushi pieces we eat.
Sushi, as its name translates, is a dish of vinegared cooked rice, as Su translates to vinegar and Shi-Meshi translates to rice. So, rice is the main ingredient of this delicious dish and the ingredient from which it gets its particular flavor. This rice is accompanied by raw fish and vegetables, which are used as fillings which are used as fillings for the sushi pieces, which is why some people do not dare to try it. Once ready, it is served with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger.
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The ingredients in sushi have another name
Before we start with the types of sushi there is something you should know first, and this is its ingredients. When you approach a sushi menu you will realize that, although they are ingredients that we know (in addition to the rice that we already mentioned), they have different names, due to their Japanese roots.
You may have noticed that in the different pieces of sushi a sheet of green color is used to make the sushi.e. This is a fundamental ingredient for some types of sushi and is actually a sheet of seaweed, but in sushi we call it nori. Still with fish, usually raw, the most commonly used are salmon, which you can find under the name of saketuna, which is found under the name of maguroand eel, which is called, unagui.
Seafood also plays a leading role in this Japanese dish, where the most popular are the prawns or shrimps, which are called ebiand octopus, which takes the name of tako. Continuing with the ingredients coming from the sea, it is very common that in your pieces you will find some red gelatinous balls. red or orange colored gelatinous balls.. These are fish roe and there are different varieties, but the most commonly used ones are the masago.
In some cases, and more now in fusion cuisine restaurants, you can find pieces of sushi made with other pieces of sushi made with other types of meat. such as chicken or ham. As for vegetables, avocado, cucumber, carrot and asparagus are the protagonists par excellence, essential for vegetarian sushi options.
The 7 types of sushi and their varieties
The secret to identify the different types of sushi is to pay attention to the shape and size of each one of the shape and size of each piece of sushi on your plate. on your plate.
Maki
The maki is literally a roll of sushi and the first image that comes to mind when you think of sushi. It involves rolling rice, fish and vegetables on a sheet of nori seaweed, these being the filling ingredients and the nori seaweed the edible wrapping. When the roll is ready, it is cut into pieces of approximately 2 cm that remain in the shape of a circle.
Note that maki sushi can vary depending on the thickness of the piece; the type of sushi that is very thin is called hosomaki and if, on the contrary, the pieces are very thick, they are called futomaki.
Maki is one of the most popular forms of sushi.
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Pexels
2. Uramaki
If in makis the nori seaweed is what we see on the outside of the sushi pieces, then in uramaki it is the other way around, being the rice what we see as the wrapping of the pieces. the rice is what we see as the wrapping of the pieces and the nori seaweed is the filling along with the other ingredients. This type of sushi is called “Ura”, which means “opposite side”, precisely because it is rolled on the opposite side to the maki.
The uramaki have the nori seaweed rolled inside the rice.
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Pexels
3. Nigiri
If you look at a tray containing the different types of sushi, you will notice that there are some pieces that, instead of having the usual round shape, are rather elongated and without seaweed. These are the nigiris.
The nigiri is a piece of sushi that does not have nori seaweed and is not rolled. nor is it rolled. They are pieces of rice that are kneaded in an elongated shape and covered with raw fish or seafood. In some restaurants, to change the presentation, they use a very small piece of nori seaweed around the nigiri as a kind of decorative ribbon.
A trick for eating nigiri: when you dip it in the soy sauce, make sure to dip it on the side where the fish is, but never on the side of the rice, as it will easily fall apart.
The nigiri consists of rice and a piece of raw fish on top.
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Pexels
4. Temaki
Temaki is a type of sushi designed for those who do not want to use chopsticks and prefer to eat by hand. At least that is what its name indicates, since “te” means “by hand”. Temaki are prepared on a sheet of nori seaweed on which the rice and the rice are in which the rice and the different ingredients are included, but which is not rolled up like a “burrito” to cut the pieces, but is made in the shape of a cone so that you can hold it in your hand while you eat it.
The cone-shaped sushi is called Temaki and is eaten by hand.
Source:
Commons
5. Gunkan
Gunkan is a piece of sushi similar to nigiri but is wrapped in nori seaweed, as if the seaweed were a container bowl or a boat, hence its name meaning “boat”.hence its name meaning “boat”. The most popular gunkan is prepared with orange salmon roe.
The most popular gunkan is the one prepared with salmon roe.
Source:
Commons
6. Oshizushi
Not many restaurants serve this type of sushi, which differs from the others in that it is prepared it is prepared with a mold that gives it its square shape.. In this mold, a large base of rice is placed on top of the nori seaweed and the selected ingredients.
The oshizushi is prepared with rectangular molds.
Source:
Via japancentre.com
7. Sashimi
Sashimi is not really a type of sushi, but they are part of this type of cuisine. Sashimi consists only of raw fish slices that we eat alone or dipped in soy sauce. that we eat on their own or dipped in soy sauce. As they do not have rice, we cannot call them sushi, but you should know it because they always accompany this type of dishes.
Sashimi consists of pieces of raw fish in slices.
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Pexels
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