Sushi (寿司) is not raw fish; it is vinegared rice. The defining ingredient is shari, rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt; the fish, vegetable, or egg on top is the neta. That distinction matters, because it explains where sushi came from and why it takes so many forms.
A short history
Sushi began not as a delicacy but as a way of preserving fish. In nare-zushi, fish was packed in fermenting rice for months; the rice was discarded and the soured fish eaten. Over centuries the process shortened and the rice itself became the point. The sushi most people picture, a slice of fish pressed onto a small mound of rice, is nigiri (握り), "hand-pressed" sushi, and it is surprisingly recent: it appeared in early-19th-century Edo (Tokyo) as fast street food, sold from stalls to be eaten in a bite or two. What was once a snack for labourers is now served at some of the most exacting restaurants in the world.
The many forms
- Nigiri : fish over hand-pressed rice, often with a dab of wasabi hidden beneath.
- Maki : rice and fillings rolled in nori seaweed and sliced.
- Sashimi (刺身): sliced raw fish with no rice, so technically not sushi at all.
- Chirashi : "scattered" sushi, toppings loose over a bowl of rice.
A little etiquette goes a long way: dip the fish, not the rice, lightly in soy sauce; nigiri is fine to eat with the fingers; ginger (gari) is a palate cleanser between pieces, not a topping. At a traditional counter you eat in the order the chef suggests, from lighter fish to richer.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
-
寿司: written with 寿 ("longevity, celebration") and 司 ("to manage"), lucky characters chosen for their sound and auspicious meaning rather than any literal sense; older spellings include 鮨 and 鮓.
-
刺身 (sashimi): literally "pierced flesh"; the raw fish itself, distinct from sushi because there is no vinegared rice.