SUSHI: (すし, 寿司, 鮨, 鮓) is a Japanese dish of prepared vinegared rice (鮨飯, sushi-meshi), usually with some sugar and salt, plus a variety of ingredients (ねた, neta), such as vegetables, and any meat, but most commonly seafood (often raw but can be cooked). Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice", also referred to as shari (しゃり), or sumeshi (酢飯).
Sushi is traditionally made with medium-grain white rice, though it can be prepared with brown rice or short-grain rice. It is very often prepared with seafood, such as squid, eel, yellowtail, salmon, tuna or imitation crab meat. Many types of sushi are vegetarian. It is often served with pickled ginger (gari), wasabi, and soy sauce. Daikon radish or pickled daikon (takuan) are popular garnishes for the dish.SUSHI ROLLS:
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alaskan | A variant of the California roll with smoked salmon on the inside or layered on the outside. |
| Boston | An uramaki California roll with poached shrimp instead of imitation crab. |
| British Columbia | A roll containing grilled or barbecued salmon skin, cucumber, and sweet sauce, sometimes with roe. Also sometimes referred to as salmon skin rolls outside of British Columbia, Canada. |
| California | A roll consisting of avocado, kani kama (imitation crab/crab stick) (also can contain real crab in "premium" varieties), cucumber, and tobiko, often made as uramaki (with rice on the outside, nori on the inside). |
| Dragon | A rolling containing fillings such as shrimp tempura, cucumber, and unagi, and is wrapped distinctively with avocado on the outside. Also commonly called a "Caterpillar Roll", its avocado exterior resembles the scales of a dragon. |
| Dynamite | A roll including yellowtail (hamachi) or prawn tempura, and fillings such as bean sprouts, carrots, avocado, cucumber, chili, spicy mayonnaise, and roe. |
| Hawaiian | A roll containing shōyu tuna (canned), tamago, kanpyō, kamaboko, and the distinctive red and green hana ebi (shrimp powder). |
| Mango | A roll including fillings such as avocado, crab meat, tempura shrimp, and mango slices, and topped off with a creamy mango paste. |
| Michigan | A roll including fillings such as spicy tuna, smelt roe, spicy sauce, avocado, and sushi rice. It is a variation on a spicy tuna roll. |
| New Mexico | A roll originating in New Mexico; includes New Mexico green chile (sometimes tempura-fried), teriyaki sauce, and rice. Sometimes simply referred to as a "green chile (tempura) roll" within the state. |
| Philadelphia | A roll consisting of raw or smoked salmon and cream cheese (the name refers to Philadelphia cream cheese), with cucumber, avocado, and/or scallion. Functionally synonymous with Japanese bagel (JB) roll and Seattle roll. |
| Rainbow | A California uramaki
roll with multiple types of fish (commonly yellowtail, tuna, salmon, snapper, white fish, eel, etc.) and avocado wrapped around it. |
| Spicy tuna | A roll including raw tuna mixed with sriracha mayonnaise.
|
| Spider | A roll including fried soft-shell crab and other fillings such as cucumber, avocado, daikon sprouts or lettuce, roe, and sometimes spicy mayonnaise. |
| Sushi burrito | A large, customizable roll offered in several "sushi burrito" restaurants in the United States. |
TYPE OF SUSHI - Nigiri and Sashimi vs Maki
Both nigiri and sashimi highlight the freshness and quality of the fish, allowing the individual flavors to shine through. Maki stands out for its distinct rolling technique and variety of ingredients.
Nigiri consists of a slice of raw fish placed on top of a small bed of rice, often with a dab of wasabi.
Sashimi is simply thin slices of raw fish served without rice.
Maki are versatile rolls allowing for a variety of ingredients, such as avocado, cucumber, and even cooked shrimp or crab. The use of nori (seaweed) and rice acts as a vessel and base for the various ingredients..
| Content | Maki | Nigiri | Sashimi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | Yes | Yes | No |
| Nori | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| Fish | Often raw | Cook or raw | Raw |
| Vegetables | Yes | Rarely | No |
NOODLES:
Soba, udon, and ramen are three of Japan’s most popular types of noodles, but they have different qualities and get used differently in Japanese cuisine.
1. Different ingredients. Soba noodles contain buckwheat, which is a relative of rhubarb. Despite its name, buckwheat is not a wheat variety and is therefore gluten-free. Udon and ramen noodles are wheat-based. Their only ingredients are flour, salt, and water. Ramen contains kansui (an alkaline mineral).
2. Different textures and colors. Udon noodles are thick and white in color, with a chewy texture. Soba noodles are thin, like spaghetti, and have a brown color. Ramen noodles are thin and yellow in color.
3. Differently served. Udon is often served in noodle soups with hot broth, though occasionally you can find it cold with sauce. Soba noodles are more often served warm or cold with a sauce—less often in soups. Ramen is typically served with a richer, heartier broth, whereas udon usually comes in a lighter, simpler broth based on dried kombu or bonito. Finally, while ramen noodles can be straight or curly, udon noodles are always straight.
MUST-EAT DISHES THAT AREN'T SUSHI
Tonkatsu: Fried pork cutlet.
Onigiri: Rice balls molded into a triangular shape and wrapped in seaweed. Eat them plain or filled with ingredients like umeboshi (pickled plum), ikura (salmon roe), karaage (fried chicken), kakuni (braised pork), and shiozake (flakes of salted salmon).
Matsusaka beef: With a high fat content and beautiful marbling, the meat is tender enough that melts in the mouth.
Warabimochi: A desert is jellylike made from bracken starch, the confection is first covered in kinako (roasted soybean flour) before being dipped into kuromitsu (black sugar syrup).
