It’s only a quarter to five in the morning but people are already lining up to have a sushi breakfast at the many deceptively plain looking sushi counters at Tsukiji Market, a market in Tokyo famous for supplying restaurants with high grade tuna as well as other seafood. Most of the market is off limits to the casual visitor but you can still glimpse tuna fish the size of motorbikes (or even larger) being hauled along, already reserved for the regulars, the Japanese chefs who come to examine the fish themselves. Some days, these restricted areas are open to the public and you can actually witness the tuna auction; registration starts at 4:30 in the morning.
A quick look at the line of people waiting to have sushi for breakfast to complete the Tsukiji experience and you’ll notice that not all are Japanese. In fact, you’ll find a lot of Westerners and other Asians waiting patiently for their turn to sample some of the best sushi in the world. Sushi is a big draw for any real foodie; it’s the most famous kind of food from Japan and it is as equally appreciated by the Japanese themselves. While food like yakitori and takoyaki are considered common fare, sushi is reserved for special occasions and celebrations. Sushi is well loved and worshipped by millions. It’s really no wonder that the Michelin Guide of France granted three stars to a ten-seater sushi bar located in a subway called Sukiyabashi Jiro run by the famously dedicated sushi chef Jiro Ono.
Does sushi deserve this widespread adoration? I think it does.
While sushi first began in the Edo period of Japan as pickled fish served on rice as a means of preserving food, the sushi today is a lot more perishable but is also more delicate and subtle in terms of flavor. Sushi is a combination of ingredients, usually including fish that is often raw, served with sushi rice or Japanese rice that has been prepared with sake or rice wine, sugar, and salt.
If you include the subcategories, you’ll have hundreds of kinds of sushi to learn. And while most people think that there are only three basic kinds of sushi, there are actually seven; eight if you include sashimi which is not strictly sushi but is always served in the same menu.
Here are the basic types of sushi:
1. Nigiri Sushi
The nigiri sushi is the most common kind of sushi outside of Japan. In fact, when you say sushi, most people will think of the nigiri sushi which is also commonly known as the finger roll. While there are countless varieties of the nigiri sushi, the most common ones are tuna, shrimp, salmon, and
tamagoyaki or fried egg.
2. Maki Sushi
The maki sushi or the sushi roll is also one of the better known kinds of sushi outside of Japan, particularly because of the California Roll. While nigiri sushi only features one kind of ingredient placed and gently pressed on top of sushi rice, the maki sushi can have
a combination of ingredients. Some of the popular combinations are crab, avocado, and cucumber or prawn and cream cheese. Among the different kinds of sushi, maki sushi is the one that has been most adopted by the West. Thanks to the fusion of maki and Western ingredients, it is often
with a variety of sauces and features a lot of ingredients not readily available in Japan. And while you might think that having an inside-out maki is commonplace, that’s actually not strictly Japanese. In Japanese sushi restaurants, maki sushi always has the nori or seaweed paper outside and the rice inside.
3. Temaki
The temaki or temakizushi literally means hand rolls in Japanese. They resemble ice cream cones but with the nori as the cone and the sushi rice and accompanying ingredients as the toppings. The toppings are usually seafood and vegetables.
4. Gunkan
Gunkan are small cups of sushi rice wrapped in nori that are then filled with other ingredients. The most common type of gunkan is filled with salmon roe that has been marinated in a soy mixture. Other fillings include tobiko or flying fish roe and ebiko or prawn roe.
5. Inari
Inarizushi is a simple kind of sushi where both the sushi rice and accompanying ingredients are placed in deep fried tofu bags, also called abuurage.
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6. Oshizushi
Oshizushi translates to pressed sushi where the fish is pressed into sushi rice inside a wooden box or a lunch box. Traditional oshizushi will be in an ekiben or a train station lunch box. While ekiben can be as plain as just fish and sushi rice, it can also be a full bento box filled with other treats. An increasing number of ekiben designs will even let you heat up the contents by just pulling on a string, a design feature that showcases the ingenuity and consideration of the Japanese.
7. Chirashi
Chirashi is a rice bowl meal where cuts of raw fish and other typical sushi ingredients as well as vegetables and mushrooms are served in a bowl on top of sushi rice. The chirashi can easily be mistaken for one of the donburi, typical Japanese rice bowl meals, but it uses sushi rice instead of the regular steamed rice that other rice bowls do
Like just about everything else in Japan, there is a certain way to eat sushi that’s expected of diners. Again, the importance of chopsticks use comes to play but you might be pleased to know that the Japanese just as easily use their fingers to eat sushi as well as chopsticks. In fact, sushi is considered finger food in Japan but be sure to pick them up with just your fingertips when using your hands. Don’t let sushi touch your palm; it’s considered unsanitary.
Because you’ll be using your hands when eating sushi, make liberal use of the oshibori or the wash cloth. Feel free to reuse it when you need to. And whether you’re using your fingers or the chopsticks, it is customary to eat your sushi in one bite. Believe me, this is also the less messy way to go.
When you are dipping your sushi in soy sauce which is common practice, only dip it lightly for a bit of added flavor. Drenching your sushi in soy sauce indicates that the original flavors aren’t enough or aren’t any good and can be taken as an insult. Also, when dipping the nigiri sushi in soy sauce, be sure to dip it fish-side down and place it in your mouth so that the fish touches your tongue first, not the rice.
Here’s some additional chopsticks etiquette – when you’re getting sushi from a communal platter using chopsticks, use the blunt end to take the sushi and place it on your plate. Also use the broad ends to pass sushi from your plate to someone else’s. It is considered impolite to use the ends of the chopsticks that you place in your mouth when taking sushi from shared plates or when passing to other people’s plates.
If you’re eating at a sushi bar (as opposed to conveyor belt sushi), the sushi chef will welcome you and ask a few questions. If you’re not sure what to order, you can ask him for his recommendations or you can ask for omakase which means that the chef will provide you with the choicest dishes and ingredients. This is usually a good way to go if you’re trying out a new place because you’ll get the best of what they have to offer but the risk is that you don’t know how much the prices are so you might end up with a larger bill than what you expected.
Traditionally, wasabi is placed directly on the sushi but these days, it is also often served with the dish because a lot of people like to mix it in with soy sauce (this is more of a Western practice). You will also be served pickled ginger on the side which is a palate cleanser that you can eat in between different kinds of sushi.
While it may be customary to converse with the sushi chef, it’s best not to distract him when he is preparing the food. After all, he will probably be holding an eleven inch knife; distractions would be unwelcome. Also, do not try to give your tip to the chef. He needs to keep his hands clean for handling raw fish and rice. Tipping is not customary in Japan but you can just leave a tip when you pay your bill if you like.
But beyond the rules and etiquette is the sheer joy of eating good quality sushi. Very little is done to take away from the original flavors of high quality fish and well-prepared rice. If you ever get the chance to eat sushi in Japan, savor it and enjoy. Japan is fast becoming the culinary capital of the world for a reason and sushi is the current pinnacle of its cuisine.
This is an excerpt from the book: How to Use Chopsticks |
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