SUSHI varieties

The most widely known variety of Japanese sushi is the traditional nigiri-zushi. It consists of an oblong mound of shari pressed between the palms of the hands, with a speck of wasabi and a thin slice of neta draped over. Nigira-zushi is often served in pairs.

Maki-zushi, which literally means rolled sushi, is common overseas. This is where the sushi is rolled into a cylindrical shape with the neta in the middle. Typically, a bamboo mat called a makisu is used for the rolling and ingredients not used for nigiri-zushi may be placed inside, like cucumber and pickles.
Oshizushi is pressed sushi. Block-shaped pieces are formed using a wooden mold, called an oshibako. The chef lines the bottom of the oshibako with the toppings, covers them with sushi rice and then presses the lid of the mold down to create a compact, rectangular block. Being compacted, oshizushi is somewhat harder than nigiri-zushi, but can look impressive depending on the ingredients used for the layers. Oshizushi is not served at sushi restaurants but is available from specialty shops.

A style of sushi lesser known outside of Japan is chirashizushi, translated as "scattered sushi". It is commonly eaten in Japanese households because it is filling, fast and easy to make. Put simply, it is a bowl of sushi rice mixed with a variety of seafood.

 

 

 

Another common household sushi is inarizushi, which is sushi rice stuffed in a bag made of fried bean curd. Sometimes small amounts of carrot, sesame seeds and mushrooms are cooked into the rice and it has a slightly sweet flavour to it.

 

 

 

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Sushi trivia

Did you know that there was a recent plan to subject Japanese restaurants all over the world to an authenticity test? Last year the Japanese Government, in a bid to protect consumers and the countryﾕs culinary culture, sanctioned restaurant trials in Paris. A secret panel of inspectors were sent to 80 restaurants claiming to serve authentic Japanese food. About a third of the restaurants were deemed to fall short of selected criteria, making them ineligible to display an official Japanese emblem of authenticity. Given the proliferation of Japanese restaurants staffed by chefs from all walks of life, the aim of the trials was to keep the concept behind Japanese culinary culture pure. However the plan has since been dropped on the order of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, with the initiative criticised by political correspondents and food experts as "food nationalism". The issue boils down to whether one perceives the fusion of food styles and ingredients as "creative" or simply "the wrong way".

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