When most people hear the word, “Sushi”, they immediately think of raw fish.  In truth, dishes made with raw fish are called “Sashimi”.  What defines Sushi is any dish made with vinegar rice, which may or may not include raw fish.  Most often, Sushi will consist of various types of shellfish such as crab or lobster, or cooked fish along with other fresh ingredients wrapped tightly inside the sticky vinegar rice. 

Although in today’s society you will find Sushi served most often in a Japanese restaurant, it actually dates back to 7^th Century China.  As a way of preserving fish, the Chinese people started making Sushi but without modern day refrigerators, they used the natural process of fermentation.  To complete the Sushi-making process, only rice and salt were needed.  The result was delicious fish, causing Sushi to grow in popularity. Click here to read more.

The great thing about eating Sushi is that it can be eaten as an appetizer or main course in a fine Japanese restaurant or snacked on at home.  Being loaded with rich nutrients and low in calories, Sushi makes the perfect food.  For this reason, Sushi is served in homes and restaurants around the world every day. 

The three main categories of Sushi include Nigiri, which is a small rice mound topped with cooked or raw fish, Temaki, hand rolled cones of seaweed that are filled with rice, vegetables, and fish, and Norimaki or Maki, which is a combination of rice along with fish and/or vegetables all rolled up in dried seaweed, with all three having the same foundation of vinegar rice.  For each of these categories, the preparation is as unique as the presentation or serving. 

For the right presentation, Sushi should be served on authentic Japanese dishes.  Although the dishes do not have to match, they should all have a Japanese influence.  If you do not have any Japanese dishes, dark colored platters or plates are most acceptable.  If a group of people order from a Sushi bar or restaurant, or if you have a group of friends over for dinner and serve a variety of Sushi types, you would use a communal platter. Click here to read more.

Although you can visit any Sushi restaurant and enjoy fresh, delicious food, another option is to learn how to make Sushi at home.  For some reason, many people feel intimidated when it comes to making Sushi but in reality, the process is not complicated and the results will be exactly as you would find in a Sushi restaurant.  Just imagine having a dinner party and serving fresh, homemade Sushi! 

There are three types of Sushi – Narezushi, Hayazushi, and Namanarizushi.  The most commonly served is Hayazushi, which is what you find in Sushi rolls and the type of Sushi most often sold in restaurants.  To make Sushi, you do not need expensive equipment and any specialty spices can be purchased at most grocery stores.  If needed, you can locate an Asian store where you live to find the various things you need or order online. Click here to read more.

Sushi has a very interesting origin that has lasted for centuries and continues to be a very popular food source today.  Sushi is made with a combination of shellfish, cooked or raw fish, vegetables, and seasoned rice.  Although Sushi is most commonly linked to the Japanese heritage, it actually began in China during the 7^th Century. 

At that time, any fish caught had to be preserved.  The only method possible was by fermentation.  Raw fish was cleaned, filleted, and then pressed between layers of heavy salt and usually weighted down with some type of stone.  The fish would remain this way for weeks at which the stone would be removed and then replaced with some type of light cover.  The fish would stay in the salt layers for a couple of months until the fermentation process was complete. Click here to read more.

Although there are a number of Sushi types that most people order, in reality, you can choose any combination of fish and vegetables you like.  Therefore, in addition to some of the better-known Sushi types, you can be as imaginative as you like and create your own Sushi variety.  The first list includes some of the most common ways in which Sushi is made: 

• Bara Sushi – The vinegar rice and ingredients are mixed as a salad
• Chirashi Sushi – The rice bed has various layers of fish and is served in a bowl called Gomoku Sushi or Iso-don
• Futomaki – This is a large Maki roll that has many different ingredients using Nori, which is a seaweed wrap
• Inari Sushi – Instead of using the traditional vinegar rice, brown, fried tofu is used
• Nigiri Sushi – Vinegar rice topped with a slice of raw or cooked fish, or vegetables
• Okonomi Sushi – This is home-style Nigiri
• Onigiri – This Sushi is made with regular steamed rice and rolled into a ball with other ingredients
• Oshizushi – Vinegar rice and other ingredients of choice pressed into a mold
• Temaki – These are cone-shaped seaweed rolls also called a hand roll   Click here to read more.