Sushi Glossary
| Aburage: | fried tofu-filled pockets |
| Aji: | this is "Japanese" mackerel |
| Akagai: | the pepitona clam |
| Ama Ebi: | mmm...sweet shrimp, marinated |
| Anago: | saltwater eel, not as flavorful as the freshwater ell |
| Aoyagi: | the red clam |
| Awabi: | the meat of the abalone shellfish - inside of shell is beautiful and used for jewelry |
| Bonito: | tuna |
| Buri: | yellowtail - an excellent fish, this one is the adult |
| Chirash-zushi: | a bowl of sushi rice topped with different types of sashimi |
| Daikon: | a white radish that is giant in size, used as an outer wrapping for some rolls |
| Ebi: | shrimp - not marinated in anything, it is cooked |
| Eel Sauce: | this is heaven - not what it sounds like at all, drippings from braised ell are combined with other ingredients that give it both a sweet and hickory smoked taste, has the consistency of maple syrup, won't cause the rice to fall of the roll when dipped in it |
| Fugu: | (we are not cursing in Japanese here) the blowfish (also called puffer fish) - this is the one that contains the deadly neurotoxin, can only be prepared by a licensed chef. The chef is trained to remove the portion containing the poison. A very expensive (and risky?) delicacy! |
| Futo-Maki: | a very large and thick sushi roll, usually costs more - but hey, it's got more |
| Gari: | marinated (or pickled) ginger - over 20 different varieties! used for garnish and to cleanse the palate with in between different kinds of sushi |
| Hamachi: | yellowtail - the younger version, remember Buri is the older guy |
| Hamaguri: | a clam! |
| Hirame: | flounder |
| Hotate-Gai: | scallops - real ones are irregular in shape and size, if they all appear to have the same size and look perfectly round, you're probably feasting on shark or manta ray wings that have been processed using a "cutter" |
| Ika: | squid (calamari if you're Italian) - sometimes in a salad that has a sweet vinegar dressing |
| Ikura: | salmon roe (fish eggs), large in size, pretty orange color |
| Inada: | yellowtail - this is a very young fish |
| Itame: | the sushi chef! pretty important guy in my book |
| Kajiki: | swordfish |
| Kaki: | oysters - an oyster by any other name is still an oyster - usually served cooked with a hint of a smokey flavor. Oysters on the half shell is just awesome sushi in disguise. |
| Kampyo: | from dried gourd, cut into long, thin strips - marinated and cooked before serving |
| Kamaboko: | imitation crab meat, a staple of the basic "California Roll" |
| Kani: | crab meat - the real thing |
| Katsuo: | tuna (also called Bonito) |
| Kazunoko: | herring roe |
| Maguro: | yet another kind of tuna - the lean kind |
| Masago: | capelin roe (resembles flying fish roe) |
| Masu: | trout |
| Mirugai: | a type of clam - the geoduck or surf clam, has a sweet taste to it |
| Maki-zushi: | referred to as an "inside out" roll, the nori is on the outside and filled with good stuff |
| Natto: | this one is natto for me - soy beans that have been (yuk) fermented |
| Nigiri-sushi: | hand-shaped pieces of rice topped with sashimi and a bit of wasabi stuffed inside |
| Nori: | wafer-thin dried seaweed inside the sushi roll that helps hold it all together, subtle taste |
| Roe: | fish eggs - different types depending on the fish they come from - the very tiny, slightly cruncy eggs seen on the outside of a roll are from smelt (or flying fish), not every chef puts them on the outside of the roll, some put them on the inside. If they're on the inside, they just get mixed up with everything else and you lose the flavor. |
| Saba: | mackerel that has been marinated and salted beforehand |
| Sake: | not your typical wine - a "rice wine", served hot or cold |
| Sake: | you're not seeing double - another kind of salmon |
| Sashimi: | raw fish - not cooked (this is not the same thing as "sushi"), not always served over rice |
| Sawara: | mackerel - this fish has an accent - it's the Spanish mackerel |
| Shiro Maguro: | the better tuna, white meat - this is the albacore tuna |
| Shoyu: | soy sauce |
| Spam: | a type of sushi - have yet to see this one on a menu - do ya think it'd sell? |
| Sunomono: | a very delicious salad - sweet vinegar dressing with slices of different pieces of sashimi |
| Sushi: | I LOVE to explain this - "sushi" is a general catch-all term that is used loosely whether or not the fish is cooked or raw. Sashimi is the raw fish that you usually see on top of a piece of formed rice. Sushi is technically not the raw fish (remember that is "sashimi"), therefore, sushi gets a bad rap for those who haven't even tried it yet and have no idea they can order many kinds of "sushi" rolls with cooked ingredients. |
| Suzuki: | does not come on wheels - this is the sea bass |
| Tako: | (pronounced like the mexican "taco") this is octopus - cooked! At some sushi restaurants in Japan the chef will cut a piece of tentacle off from a live octopus in a tank and then it is served FRESH - okay, this would definitely classify as raw - so here's your test: sushi or sashimi? Sashimi - very good! |
| Tamago: | egg cooked similar to a light omelet, used inside a roll or on top of nigiri-sushi |
| Temaki-zushi: | called a "hand roll", nori is on the outside shaped like an ice cream cone, filled inside |
| Torigai: | meat from the Japanese cockle ( a shellfish) |
| Toro: | tuna - the fatty kind, comes from the belly of the fish |
| Ume: | a plum paste with a plum taste |
| Unagi: | the other eel - the freshwater one (grilled, basted with a terriyaki tasting sauce) |
| Uni: | sea urchin, specifically the sexual organs of the animal, some like it - some don't, pricey |
| Wakame: | marinated seaweed served cold as a salad, is an acquired taste for some, delicious |
| Wasabi: | woosh! this stuff is hot - Japanese horseradish. Rule No. 1 - they do not serve guacamole in Japanese restaurants. Can you imagine the mistake I made the first time I ever had it? DO NOT eat the entire glob of it at one time, I repeat... Most people like to take a very small dab of it and mix it in the small dish filled with soy sauce - it will wake up the soy sauce for sure. |