What is sushi and how many types of sushi are there?
Once the sushi It was considered a real gastronomic pleasure, which at least in our country could only enjoy a few, who above all could afford to go to a Japanese restaurant and pay the high prices that mostly had many.
However, with the popularity that Oriental food - especially Japanese cuisine - has been gaining in recent years, and the arrival in our country of a wide variety of Japanese restaurants, the sushi Nowadays it has become a wonderful dish, which anyone can enjoy for a few euros.
Even today we can find a very wide diversity of sushi recipes to make easily at home, just needing just the popular Japanese rice, a bamboo mat and a knife. But if we also want to get exquisite and make the sushi in the same way that is prepared in Japan, then we would also need the fan to aerate and cool the rice, the palette to extend and remove the rice grains, the wooden bowl and the mold to press the sushi.
But if you are a profane person in Japanese cuisine and gastronomy, and above all you have never heard of it, it is quite likely that you have already asked yourself the following question ... What is sushi?, What is this dish of curious name and appearance extremely curious ?.
What is sushi?
We are facing a dish of Japanese origin consisting of rice cooked in rice vinegar and sugar and traditionally made with raw fish (mainly salmon or trout), although we can also find them with other exquisite ingredients, such as seafood or vegetables.
Actually we are facing a rather generic denomination of different types of sushis, with combinations of both ingredients and forms of the popular Japanese food made with Japanese rice, vegetables or vegetables and various sea foods (fresh fish, seaweed, prawns , octopus ...).
Although if we had to define it in another way, probably the following definition would also be just as right: rice ball sour, which is covered with fish or algae.
Be that as it may, we are faced with a wonderful and exquisite japanese snack, which concentrates the main ingredients of its cuisine (rice, vegetables, fish and seaweed) and its culture (balance in flavors and textures, use of fresh foods ...).
What is the origin of sushi?
Although today it is considered a typically Japanese dish, the reality is that its origin is found in ancient China, when it emerged as a way to preserve raw fish during the winter months when it was not possible to fish.
It is known that, at that time, fish fresh from the sea were placed in boiled rice and left to ferment, to finally discard the rice and eat only the fish.
It became, in fact, an excellent snack for those who had to travel, being able to move easily to the areas of the interior where precisely the products of the sea did not arrive.
However, it was not until the 17th century that the Japanese began adding rice vinegar to the original recipe, which in turn accelerated the fermentation process, improving the taste of this bite.
How many types of sushi are there?
Did you know that there is a wide variety of sushis? For all tastes and all flavors. Here we tell you about the most popular:
Maki
It is probably one of the most popular and well-known sushis. It consists of a rice winding, wrapped precisely in a thin sheet of nori (a black seaweed). It has a sweet taste and a deliciously smooth texture when eaten, also highlighting its characteristic appearance.
Inside, the most usual thing is to fill it with fresh fish (especially tuna or salmon), although we can also find it stuffed with vegetables such as cucumber or prawns. It is common to serve 6 out of 6.
Roll
They are sushis quite similar to the makis, with a difference: although like the previous ones it is a roll of rice, and in its interior it is filled with fresh fish, seaweed, vegetables or seafood, in its outside sesame seeds are added to contribute taste, and it is not rolled with seaweed.
Nigiri or Nigirizushi
It is another of the varieties of sushis equally more popular, consumed and elaborated. On this occasion we are faced with a piece of rice with an oval shape. In the upper part, a thin portion of fresh fish (especially salmon or tuna) is added.
It is also customary to add wasabi inside, the traditional pasty dressing, green color and tremendously spicy flavor.
Temaki
It is probably one of the most characteristic varieties of Sushis, particularly for its curious shape. It consists of a kind of cone or roll shaped like a cone of rice, rolled into a sheet of nori seaweed. In its interior ingredients such as raw fish, vegetables or seafood are added.
In fact, we can dissect the wordTemaki to realize what this variety of sushi consists of: 'Te' means 'hand', while 'maki' means 'to roll'.
Sashimi
It is another of the most popular and popular varieties, especially for its simplicity. They consist of small and thin pieces of fresh fish.
But despite being the simplest, did you know that there is an authentic technique for cutting sashimi in Japan? In fact it is one of the most rigorous trainings for a sushi chef.
Gunkan
It is a variety of sushi that has a cylindrical shape. It is covered with rice halfway, while in the other half we find the ingredient to taste. As we can see, it is one of the most complicated sushis to prepare and elaborate. This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist. ThemesFish Food