Sushi

 ( Articles Containing Video Clips ) 

extra= is a traditional Japanese dish made with sushi-meshi, typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of neta, such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in numerous styles and presentation, the current defining component is the vinegared rice, also known as shari, or sumeshi.

The modern form of sushi is believed to have been created by Hanaya Yohei, who invented nigiri-zushi, the most commonly recognized type today, in which seafood is placed on hand-pressed vinegared rice. This innovation occurred around 1824 in the Edo period (1603–1867). It was the fast food of the chōnin class in the Edo period.

Sushi is traditionally made with medium-grain white rice, although it can also be prepared with brown rice or short-grain rice. It is commonly prepared with seafood, such as squid, eel, yellowtail, salmon, tuna or Crab stick. Certain types of sushi are vegetarian. It is often served with gari, wasabi, and soy sauce. Daikon radish or takuan are popular garnishes for the dish.

Sushi is sometimes confused with sashimi, a dish that consists of thinly sliced raw fish or occasionally meat, without sushi rice.

serves the rice in a bowl and tops it with a variety of raw fish and vegetable garnishes. It is popular because it is filling, fast, and easy to make. It is eaten annually on  in March and Children's Day in May.
     

is a traditional form of fermented sushi. Skinned and gutted fish are stuffed with salt, placed in a wooden barrel, doused with salt again, then weighed down with a heavy  (pickling stone). As days pass, water seeps out and is removed. After six months, this sushi can be eaten, remaining edible for another six months or more.
Richard Hosking (1997). 9780804820424, Tuttle Publishing. . ISBN 9780804820424
     

consists of an oblong mound of sushi rice that a chef typically presses between the palms of the hands to form an oval-shaped ball and a topping (the ) draped over the ball. It is usually served with a bit of [[wasabi]]; toppings are typically fish such as salmon, tuna, or other seafood. Certain toppings are typically bound to the rice with a thin strip of nori, most commonly octopus (), freshwater eel (), sea eel (), squid (), and sweet egg ().
     

([[:ja:軍艦巻]]) is a special type of : an oval, hand-formed clump of sushi rice that has a strip of nori wrapped around its perimeter to form a vessel that is filled with some soft, loose or fine-chopped ingredient that requires the confinement of nori such as [[roe]], , oysters,  ([[sea urchin]] roe), sweetcorn with mayonnaise, scallops, and quail eggs.  was invented at the [[Ginza]] Kyubey restaurant in 1941; its invention significantly expanded the repertoire of soft toppings used in sushi.(ja) 
     

is a style of sushi made by pressing rice and fish into a ball-shaped form by hand using a plastic wrap.
     

Oshizushi wrapped in persimmon leaves, a specialty of Nara, is known as 柿の葉寿司.

Seared oshizushi, or 炙り押し寿司, is a popular variety invented in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2008. This involves using a butane torch to sear the sushi, which may contain ingredients such as mayonnaise, various sauces, jalapeños, and avocado in addition to typical sushi ingredients such as salmon and mackerel. The variety has since spread to other cities, such as Toronto.

Other sushi creations to suit the Western palate were initially fueled by the invention of the California roll, a which presently almost always uses Crab stick (the original recipe calls for real cooked crab), along with avocado and cucumber. A wide variety of popular rolls ( and ) have evolved since.

The identity of the creator of the California roll is disputed. Several chefs from Los Angeles have been cited as the dish's originator, as well as one chef from Vancouver, British Columbia.

The earliest mention in print of a "California roll" was in the Los Angeles Times and an Ocala, Florida newspaper on November 25, 1979. Less than a month later an Associated Press story credited a Los Angeles chef named Ken Seusa at the Kin Jo sushi restaurant near Hollywood as its inventor. The AP article cited Mrs. Fuji Wade, manager of the restaurant, as its source for the claim.

Others attribute the dish to Ichiro Mashita, another Los Angeles sushi chef from the former Little Tokyo restaurant "Tokyo Kaikan".

Japanese-born chef Hidekazu Tojo, a resident of Vancouver since 1971 is also credited, claiming he created the California roll at his restaurant in the late 1970s. Tojo insists he is the innovator of the "inside-out" sushi, and it got the name "California roll" because its contents of crab and avocado were abbreviated to C.A., which is the abbreviation for the state of California. Because of this coincidence, Tojo was set on the name California Roll. According to Tojo, he single-handedly created the California roll at his Vancouver restaurant, including all the modern ingredients of cucumber, cooked crab, and avocado. In 2016 the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries named Tojo a goodwill ambassador for Japanese cuisine.

The common theme in origin stories is that surrounding the roll in rice made it more appealing to western consumers who had never eaten traditional sushi. This innovation led to the eventual creation of countless rolls across North America and the world.

For example, the "Norway roll" is another variant of filled with (omelette), imitation crab and cucumber, rolled with leaf and , topped with slices of Norwegian salmon, garnished with lemon and mayonnaise.

is a medium-sized cylindrical style of sushi with two or more fillings and was developed as a result of the creation of the California roll, as a method originally meant to hide the nori.  differs from other  because the rice is on the outside and the nori inside. The filling is surrounded by nori, then a layer of rice, and optionally an outer coating of some other ingredients such as roe or toasted [[sesame seeds|Sesame]]. It can be made with different fillings, such as tuna, crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise, cucumber, or carrots.
     

Examples of variations include the rainbow roll (an inside-out topped with thinly sliced and avocado) and the caterpillar roll (an inside-out topped with thinly sliced avocado). Also commonly found is the "rock and roll" (an inside-out roll with barbecued freshwater eel and avocado with toasted sesame seeds on the outside).

In Japan, is an uncommon type of ; because sushi is traditionally eaten by hand in Japan, the outer layer of rice can be quite difficult to handle with fingers.

In Brazil and other sushi pieces commonly include cream cheese in their recipe. Although unheard of in Japanese sushi, this is the most common sushi ingredient used in Brazil. also often contains a large amount of cream cheese and is extremely popular in restaurants.

Per Food and Drug Administration regulations, raw fish served in the United States must be frozen before serving to kill parasites.

Since rolls are often made to order, it is not unusual for the customer to specify the exact ingredients desired (e.g., salmon roll, cucumber roll, avocado roll, tuna roll, shrimp or tuna tempura roll, etc.). Though the menu names of dishes often vary by restaurant, some examples include the following:

Contrary to sushi in Japan and other countries being a high-end food, it is widely available in affordable takeaway joints in Australia. Sushi in Japanese restaurants has existed in Australia since the 1950s, but the first Australian-style sushi only appeared in 1995, in a stall called Sushi-Jin in the Target Centre food court at 246 Bourke Street, Melbourne. The owner, Toshihiro Shindo, started selling takeaway sushi rolls which he adapted to Australian tastes. The store closed in 2008. As of 2024, Japanese cuisine is the most popular cuisine in Australia with sushi as the third overall most popular food item, after hot dogs and pizza.

Australian sushi has grown in popularity in recent years, with its influence extending beyond Australia into the United Kingdom and United States, which has sparked an online controversy after the opening of Sushi Counter in West Village, New York City. People accused the owner of cultural appropriation and left negative reviews, prompting Google to remove all spam ratings from the restaurant location.

Sushi rice is prepared with short-grain Japanese rice, which has a consistency that differs from long-grain strains such as those from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam. The essential quality is its stickiness or glutinousness, although the type of rice used for sushi differs from glutinous rice. Freshly harvested rice () typically contains too much water and requires extra time to drain the rice cooker after washing. In some fusion cuisine restaurants, short-grain brown rice and wild rice are also used.

There are regional variations in sushi rice, and individual chefs have their methods. Most of the variations are in the rice vinegar dressing: the Kantō region (or East Japan) version of the dressing commonly uses more salt; in Kansai region (or West Japan), the dressing has more sugar.

The size of a nori sheet influences the size of . A full-size sheet produces , and a half produces and . To produce and some other , an appropriately-sized piece of nori is cut from a whole sheet.

Nori by itself is an edible snack and is available with salt or flavored with teriyaki sauce. The flavored variety, however, tends to be of lesser quality and is not suitable for sushi.

When making , a paper-thin omelet may replace a sheet of nori as the wrapping. The omelet is traditionally made on a rectangular omelet pan, known as a , and used to form the pouch for the rice and fillings.

Andrew F. Smith (2012). 9780520261846, University of California Press. ISBN 9780520261846

- target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Archived url, live status.

Tofu, eggs (in the form of slightly sweet, layered omelette called ), and raw quail eggs (as a topping) are also common.

The traditional grating tool for wasabi is a sharkskin grater or . An imitation wasabi (), made from horseradish, mustard powder, and green dye, is common. It is found at lower-end restaurants, in Bento sushi, and at most restaurants outside Japan. If manufactured in Japan, it may be labelled "Japanese Horseradish".

(sweet, pickled [[ginger]]) is eaten in between sushi courses to both cleanse the palate and aid in digestion. In Japan, [[green tea]] () is invariably served together with sushi. Better sushi restaurants often use a distinctive premium tea known as . In sushi vocabulary, green tea is known as .
     

Sushi may be garnished with , grated , thinly-sliced vegetables, carrots, radishes, and cucumbers that have been shaped to look like flowers, real flowers, or seaweed salad.

When closely arranged on a tray, different pieces are often separated by green strips called or kiri-zasa. These dividers prevent the flavors of neighboring pieces of sushi from mixing and help to achieve an attractive presentation. Originally, these were cut leaves from the haran and kuma-zasa plants, respectively. Using actual leaves had the added benefit of releasing antimicrobial when cut, thereby extending the limited shelf life of the sushi.

Sushi bento boxes are a staple of Japanese supermarkets and convenience stores. As these stores began rising in prominence in the 1960s, the labor-intensive cut leaves were increasingly replaced with green plastic to lower costs. This coincided with the increased prevalence of refrigeration, which extended sushi's shelf life without the need for cut leaves. Today plastic strips are commonly used in sushi bento boxes and, to a lesser degree, in sushi presentations found in sushi bars and restaurants. In store-sold or to-go packages of sushi, the plastic leaf strips are often used to prevent the rolls from coming into early or unwanted contact with the ginger and wasabi included with the dish.

Large marine such as tuna (especially bluefin) can harbor high levels of methylmercury, one of many toxins of marine pollution. Frequent or significantly large consumption of methylmercury can lead to developmental defects when consumed by certain higher-risk groups, including women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children. A 2021 study in Catalonia, Spain reported that the estimated exposure to methylmercury in sushi consumption by adolescents exceeded the tolerable daily intake.

A 2011 article reported approximately 18 million people infected with fish-borne Trematoda worldwide. Such an infection can be dangerous for expecting mothers due to the health risks that medical interventions or treatment measures may pose on the developing fetus. Parasitic infections can have a wide range of health impacts, including bowel obstruction, anemia, liver disease, and more. These illnesses' impact can pose health concerns for the expecting mother and baby.

Sashimi or other types of sushi containing raw fish present a risk of infection by three main types of :

• Clonorchis sinensis, a Trematoda which can cause clonorchiasis
• Anisakis, a Nematode which can cause anisakiasis
• Diphyllobothrium, a Cestoda which can cause diphyllobothriasis

For these reasons, EU regulations forbid using raw fish that had not previously been frozen. It must be frozen at temperatures below in all product parts for no less than 24 hours. Fish for sushi may be Flash freezing on fishing boats and by suppliers to temperatures as low as .

Calls for stricter analysis and regulation of seafood include improved product description. A 2021 DNA study in Italy found 30%–40% of fish species in sushi incorrectly described.

Some forms of sushi, notably those containing the fugu pufferfish and some kinds of shellfish, can cause severe poisoning if not prepared properly. Fugu consumption, in particular, can be fatal. Fugu fish has a lethal dose of tetrodotoxin in its internal organs and, by law in many countries, must be prepared by a licensed fugu chef who has passed the prefectural examination in Japan.

Many sushi restaurants offer fixed-price sets selected by the chef from the catch of the day. These are often graded as 3=shō-chiku-bai, , , and , with the most expensive and the cheapest. Sushi restaurants will often have private booth dining, where guests are asked to remove their shoes, leaving them outside the room; However, most sushi bars offer diners a casual experience with an open dining room concept. Sushi may be served (sushi train) style: color-coded plates of sushi are placed on a conveyor belt from which diners pick as they please. After finishing, the bill is tallied by counting how many plates of each color have been taken. Newer restaurants use or RFID tags embedded in the dishes to manage elapsed time after the item was prepared.

There is a practice called which entails serving sushi on the naked body of a woman.

• : , refers to green tea. Ocha in usual Japanese.
• : Sweet, pickled and sliced ginger, or sushi ginger. Shōga in standard Japanese.
• : "Jewel". Sweet, cube-shaped omelette. Tamagoyaki in standard Japanese.
• : "Violet" or "purple" (color). Soy sauce. Shōyu in standard Japanese.
• : Toppings on nigiri or fillings in . A reversal of the standard Japanese tane.
• : "Compliment". Bill or check. may be used in not only sushi bars but also . Osushiyasan no arukikata お寿司屋さんの歩き方 , Retrieved February 2012. 'Ojisan, oaiso' tsuihō undō 「おじさん、おあいそ」追放運動 , Retrieved February 2012. Okanjō or chekku in standard Japanese.
• : Chopsticks. means the nearest thing to the customer seated. Hashi or in standard Japanese.
• : Contracted form of 山葵, also known as Japanese horseradish.
• : Vinegar rice or rice. It may originally be from the Sanskrit (शालि) meaning rice, or . Gohan) or meshi in standard Japanese.
• : Sweet thick sauce mainly made of soy sauce. Nitsume in standard Japanese.

Soy sauce is the usual condiment, and sushi is normally served with a small sauce dish or a compartment in the bento. Traditional etiquette suggests that the sushi is turned over so that only the topping is dipped to flavor it; the rice—which has already been seasoned with rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, mirin, and kombu—would otherwise absorb too much soy sauce and would fall apart.

Traditionally, the sushi chef will add an appropriate amount of wasabi to the sushi while preparing it, and the diner should not add more. However, today, wasabi is more a matter of personal taste, and even restaurants in Japan may serve wasabi on the side for customers to use at their discretion, even when there is wasabi already in the dish.