Enjoying Japanese Finger Food: Sushi and Sashimi

Although raw fish is certainly the focal point of some sushi — and all sashimi — it's not the whole story. Sushi can take the form of fingers of rice topped with raw or cooked fish, or even sweetened omelet, or it can be cone-shaped rolls of nori (a type of seaweed) filled with jewel-toned fish eggs and veggies. It can be cylindrical rolls filled with rice, nori, and avocado, either thin or wide. It can even take the form of a bowl of rice with fish and other flavorful ingredients scattered on top. There is huge variety!

Serving sashimi is an art form and can be as simple as a few slices of tuna on a plate, to a rainbow selection of fish with grated daikon radish, wasabi (a green Japanese horseradish), and dipping sauce on the side.


Fishing for the details
Sushi is not just raw fish, as you may have believed. The word actually refers to the "fingers" (finger shapes, that is) of vinegared rice that support choice morsels of raw fish, or sometimes other items such as cooked shrimp or a bit of rolled omelet. This kind of sushi is referred to as nigirizushi.

Following are descriptions of the different kinds of sushi:

Nigirizushi: Fingers of vinegared rice topped with raw fish or other items, such as cooked shrimp or sweet omelet.
Makizushi: Sushi rolls made with a makisu, a mat made from thin pieces of bamboo that facilitates the rolling process. They usually consist of a sheet of nori seaweed filled with sushi rice and some sort of filling in the center. You also can find inside-out rolls, which have the rice on the outside and the nori and fillings on the inside.
Temaki: These are also called "hand rolls" as they're made by simply stuffing sheets of nori with rice and fillings and rolling by hand into a cone shape. You eat these out of hand rather than with chopsticks.
Oshizushi: This sushi is a specialty of the city of Osaka, and you need a special mold to make it. You press sushi rice into a wooden (or sometimes metal) mold and then top it with fish or other toppings. The top of the mold is put into place and presses down on the whole shebang. When you remove the top, you have a large cake of sushi, which is then cut into bite-sized pieces.
If you have the mold, you can see how this is an easy way to make many pieces of sushi at once — great for a party. You can find the molds at some Asian grocery stores.
Inarizushi: This is a simple-to-make vegetarian option for sushi lovers. You purchase aburage, which are fried pouches of tofu, so much of the work is already done. You simply stuff the pouches with sushi rice and some seasonings. These are great for picnics and lunch boxes.
Chirashizushi: Literally translated as "scattered" sushi, which is exactly what it is. This is the easiest sushi to make: You take a bowl of sushi rice and "scatter," quite artfully, a selection of fish and vegetables. As with the oshizushi mentioned earlier in this list, this is a great party dish. You can make one big bowl and let guests serve themselves, or you can take a little more time to arrange individual bowls for a dinner party.
Dining etiquette
When you sit down to eat sushi in better restaurants, you're presented with a warm, wet washcloth with which to wipe your hands. Not only is this a gracious way to start, but if you're eating the sushi with your fingers, which is perfectly okay, it's sanitary as well.

Every place setting should have a small dipping dish (for soy sauce) and a pair of chopsticks. Every table should have a small bottle of soy sauce. Many restaurants make a house sauce by combining soy sauce, mirin, sake, and bonito flakes; but if you're serving sushi at home, you can just use soy sauce.

Here are some rules of etiquette to remember:

Pour some soy sauce or dipping sauce into your own dipping dish.
Pick up each piece of nigirizushi with chopsticks or your fingers and dip the topping in soy sauce in your little dish. If you dip the side with the rice, it will fall apart.
It's most proper to eat your nigirizushi in one bite — two at the most.
When eating sushi rolls, you can use chopsticks or your fingers. Hand rolls are always eaten out of hand.
Wasabi and paper-thin slices of pickled ginger are offered with your sushi and sashimi. Add a dab of wasabi (Watch out! This is hot stuff!) to your sushi and sashimi to taste, and eat pickled ginger between bites of sushi to cleanse the palate.
Sashimi is often presented with a mound of finely shredded daikon; eat it between pieces of fish to refresh your palate.
The pickled ginger and daikon cleanse the palate between bites so that your taste buds can more fully appreciate the next type of fish.
If you are presented with some sushi made from sweetened, rolled omelet, eat it last; it's kind of looked upon as a mini-dessert because it is sweet.
When it's time to take a break, or when you are finished, place your chopsticks horizontally in front of you, parallel to the edge of the table that's closest to you.
Speaking the language
Try using these words and phrases when talking about sushi and sashimi, whether in a restaurant or at home:

Omakasezushi: The chef's choice. When you say this at a sushi bar, it means that you're putting your order in the chef's capable hands. You'll get what is freshest and, quite possibly, most expensive.
Tekkamaki: Tuna roll.
Kappamaki: Cucumber roll.
Tekkappamaki: Selection of both tuna and cucumber rolls.
Futomaki: Thick rolled sushi, about 2 to 3 inches across.
Hosomaki: Thin rolled sushi, about 1 inch across.
Inarizushi: Fried tofu pockets filled with sushi rice and seasonings.
Kore o kudasai: "I'll have some of this, please."
Oaiso o onegai shimasu: "Check, please."
Arigatou: "Thank you