Sushi Vocabulary
What does Sushi mean? What is sushi? These are the most common questions. Here is the defination: Sushi is a word for fermented things (food) in Japanese. But I would like to remember it as the word for good fish. In (Japanese) Kanji, Sushi can be written in one word (see the following image). The left part of the word means fish, the right part of the word means delicious or good. So as my Japanese teacher said sushi--good fish. Of course, sushi is not only limited by using fish, The material for sushi has a wide range as any type of cooking you can think of. From vegs to meat, the sky is the limited.
Sometimes, Sushi has been pronounced as Zushi. In Japanese, when two nouns combined as one phrase, the S sounds Z. This is a custom of the Japanese pronounciation. (As: nigiri sushi ==> nigirizushi)
The four types of sushi which we have often seen in the sushi restaurant are:
MAKI, NIGIRI, DONBIRI, TEMAKI.
MAKI (Sushi rools) is made with a bamboo mat, which is used to form strips of fish or veg and a mase of vinegar rice into long, seaweed-covered rolls. The rolls are them cut into slices.
TEKKAMAKI (Tuna roll)
SAKEMAKI (Salmon roll)
KAPPAMAKI (Cucumber roll)
NIGIRI (Hand-formed sushi) consists of a piece of fish or seafood placed on an oblong-shaped finger of lightly vinegared rice and usually season with a dab of horseradish.
MAGURO NIGIRI (Tuna sushi)
TORO NIGIRI (Tuna belly sushi)
TAI NIGIRI (Red snapper sushi)
AMAEBI NIGIRI (Sweet shrimp sushi)
TAKO NIGIRI (Octopus sushi)
SABA NIGIRI (Mackerel sushi)
UNAGI NIGIRI (Freshwater Eel) sushi)
MASAGO NIGIRI (Smelt roe sushi)
UNI NIGIRI (Sea Urchin sushi)
IKURA NIGIRI (Salmon roe sushi)
SAKE NIGIRI (Salmon sushi)
EBI NIGIRI (Shrimp sushi)
IKA NIGIRI (Squid sushi)
DONBIRI (Bowl) consists of fish or meat and chopped vegetables arranged over a bowl of rice.
TEMAKI (Hand-rolls) is an other kind of maki-zushi, the finished hand-rolls is cone-shaped. It's eaten by hand.
In the left part of the picture is Salmon skin hand roll.
In the right part of it is Spicy tuna hand roll.
