sushi facts

juicy little tidbits about anything and everything sushi

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Let's Get Started...

1)  "Sushi" vs "Sashimi" - let's get this one right from the beginning.  Many newbies to this cuisine immediately
       get freaked out thinking sushi means raw fish.  How many times have you heard this?  I wish I had a dime for
       every time I explained this one...let's get technical for a moment.  Sashimi truly refers to the raw fish part of
       it.  The word sushi is accepted as a term that is used as a general catch-all.  When speaking about the
       cuisine in loose terms we simply refer to it all as sushi.  Since we're going to get specific, sashimi comprises
       the rolls with anything raw or uncooked and sushi has a myriad of ingredients that are NOT raw and cooked!
       When someone says to me how they just don't think they'd like sushi I ask them if they like fried fish - fried
       grouper, fried shrimp, baked salmon, cooked egg, etc.  I have yet to have someone tell me they don't like
       these things.  Next I ask if they like rice - so far the answer has been yes.  The nori (or delicate wafer-thin
       seaweed) wrap inside (or outside) the roll has a very subtle flavor - not too strong as to distract you from all
       the goodies inside.  Now, I tell them - it is "sashimi" you have qualms about and not SUSHI.  Amazing how
       this understanding brings out the bravery inside those who were hesitant to try this delicious food.  This is a
       very important sushi fact - we have just laid down the foundation.  Now that's out of the way...

2)  There are typically 8 pieces of sushi in one roll.  After the sushi is rolled up the chef cuts it into eight
       individual pieces and then decoratively arranges it on your plate.  Futo-maki is the same thing, but a roll
       much larger in diameter.  Which is okay - means more food.

3)  How about some etiquette at the table?  If you plan on sharing some of your sushi (why anyone would want
      to do this is beyond me, whatever...) the proper way to hand over a piece of sushi is to place it between the
      ends of the chopsticks that are not  going into your mouth.  Makes sense right?  However, it is perfectly
      acceptable to use your fingers to eat sushi with.  Using chopsticks of course is the other acceptable method.
      If you need American utensils, as in a fork - go ahead, if you must...only if you really  have to.  Speaking of
     chopsticks, it is considered bad manners to place them on your plate with the ends (food ends) towards your
     dining partner.  Who would've thunk it?

4)  Soy Sauce - served in a small dish.  Most people place a small dab of wasabi in the dish and mix it up using
       their chopsticks.  Then you just dip a sushi roll in it and enjoy.  What I don't like about this is that the mixture
       is very thin and if you soak your roll into for too long, when you pull it out of the dish some of the rice will fall off
       the roll.  There is more than one sauce to dip a sushi roll in...I'm going to cover my two favorites next.

5)  Eel Sauce - if you're into sweet, this you're gonna love!  Mmmm, how do I explain it?  Let me give you the
      visual here - looks like and has the consistency of maple syrup - tastes very sweet and like hickory smoke.
      Since this sauce is so much thicker than soy sauce, when you dip your roll in it the rice won't fall apart.  I don't
      even play around with soy sauce - it's eel sauce all the way.

6)  Spicy Sauce - this is my next favorite sauce -  yummy.  It consists of a Japanese type of mayo (Kewpie brand)
      which is much more sweet than American mayonnaise.  It is mixed with a hot sauce (the brand I like is called
     "Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce").  The hot sauce used varies between restaurants, as well as the ratio of mayo to hot
      sauce. It is just the right combination of sweet and spicy, hence the name.