Your handy sushi guide

When I first started eating sushi, I blindly stuffed every delicious morsel into my mouth without much thought about their names.

Of course this presented a problem when I returned to my favourite restaurant and placed an order for a piece of "that stuff with the tuna on top of the rice." It certainly didn't impress the sushi chef!

The following sushi guide will get you up to speed fast and save you unnecessary embarrassment. Heck! You'll even impress your non-sushi loving friends.

And if you think you really know what sushi is, then think again. Check this out: What is Sushi?

Maki-zushi

The base of this sushi consists of seasoned rice, wasabi and toasted nori seaweed. A variety of tasty morsels like raw tuna and vegetables are rolled in the seaweed. It is cut into 6 or 8 pieces. Click on this link to learn about the different types of maki-sushi:  Types of Maki Sushi

Nigiri-zushi

Nigiri consists of a small pile of seasoned rice that is shaped using both hands. A thin piece of fish like tuna or shrimp is draped on top. Sometimes, a nori belt (thin strip of seaweed) is used to keep the fish from falling off.

Temaki-zushi or hand rolls

This type of sushi consists of a piece of nori seaweed that is shaped like a cone and filled with seasoned rice, wasabi and a variety of yummy ingredients.

Chirashi-zushi

The average North American sushi lover has probably never heard of chirashizushi. Seasoned sushi rice is place on a large plate and various fillings like lotus root, shredded nori, carrot and shrimp are scattered on top. Nor rolling or cutting! It may be the easiest type of sushi to make!

Inari-zushi

Inari is a deep-fried tofu pouch stuffed with seasoned sushir rice. These are very tasty, but I find them a little too sweet for my liking. If you'd like to try making these at home here is a recipe that uses shiitake mushrooms and cucumbers for a stuffing.  

Blowfish sushi - to die for!

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