What Exactly Is Sushi?
Sushi is the common word for a style of food crafted from raw fish and artfully served on a bed of rice. Having said that, the real definition of sushi is some-what different as the term has coloquially taken on a meaning all its own. Common parlance aside, sushi is numerous things, however in actuality, the term €sushi€ refers refers to the actual rice which is eaten with your meal, either as a part of a roll (called "maki sushi," "nigiri sushi," and a myriad of other styles. €Su€ is the Japanese term for vinegar and €meshi€ means rice. Blend the 2 (as the Japanese do grammaticlly) you now have €sushi€ which basically means the vinegared (seasoned) rice found in your meal. Surprisingly, it's not just plain cooked rice under your €neta,€ or "tane," (the seafood on top of your rice), but a uniquely seasoned mixture of a specially developed short grain rice and several other constituents to make it special, hold its shape, and compliment the food it accompanies.
The €sushi€ we are aware of in general terms is the food we select at a Japanese restaurant. Ask for your particular seafood and in what way it's presented, depending on your personal preference, and that's sushi. The sides are simply that, sides, no matter as to how delicious they are (Goma Wakame and Chuka Ika Sansai, for example) and are available at most sushi-ya.
Sushi does not have to be raw. Often cooked foods can be hadinstead of or along with, in addition to food items not presented in the fashion they can be pictured in menus, books, as well as other media. Modern-day sushi is sashimi (raw sea food and no rice), nigiri sushi (€finger sushi€, fish on a bed of rice), maki sushi (€cut rolls€ which are rolls cut into a few pieces, generally 6 or 8), and many other items.
When people think about €sushi€ today, the term conjures both benign and grandiose images of the numerous things offered at Japanese restaurants, but the important concept to take away from the dish is that that as exquisite as it can be, there is the fast food type, as well as the artful, creative style of sushi that you will come across in high-quality restaurants (or that you could produce at home). Sushi is as much about inventiveness, design, presentation, and harmony as it is about feeding oneself. One can be satisfied with basic sushi, but that which is presented beatifully and ritually will often leave the diner with a feeling that they have done more than just eaten a meal, but participated in a ritual.
Sushi is an experience. While one can be just as happy eating a salmon roll obtained from a local store, the real art form of sushi will best be enjoyed when a skilled master chef (called the itamae, or wa-shokunin in Japan, a term reserved for the ultimate masters). Sushi provides something amazing on an expensive night out, or if you yourself are the master, creating sushi your way, with the items you pick. Moreover it is enjoying the company of other people while your work of art (and each piece you create can be) awaits your dining pleasure. Sushi is not simply seafood and rice; sushi is delighting in of the bounty of the sea, and sharing with others while satisfying a basic need, and lifting it to a form of art.
The €sushi€ we are aware of in general terms is the food we select at a Japanese restaurant. Ask for your particular seafood and in what way it's presented, depending on your personal preference, and that's sushi. The sides are simply that, sides, no matter as to how delicious they are (Goma Wakame and Chuka Ika Sansai, for example) and are available at most sushi-ya.
Sushi does not have to be raw. Often cooked foods can be hadinstead of or along with, in addition to food items not presented in the fashion they can be pictured in menus, books, as well as other media. Modern-day sushi is sashimi (raw sea food and no rice), nigiri sushi (€finger sushi€, fish on a bed of rice), maki sushi (€cut rolls€ which are rolls cut into a few pieces, generally 6 or 8), and many other items.
When people think about €sushi€ today, the term conjures both benign and grandiose images of the numerous things offered at Japanese restaurants, but the important concept to take away from the dish is that that as exquisite as it can be, there is the fast food type, as well as the artful, creative style of sushi that you will come across in high-quality restaurants (or that you could produce at home). Sushi is as much about inventiveness, design, presentation, and harmony as it is about feeding oneself. One can be satisfied with basic sushi, but that which is presented beatifully and ritually will often leave the diner with a feeling that they have done more than just eaten a meal, but participated in a ritual.
Sushi is an experience. While one can be just as happy eating a salmon roll obtained from a local store, the real art form of sushi will best be enjoyed when a skilled master chef (called the itamae, or wa-shokunin in Japan, a term reserved for the ultimate masters). Sushi provides something amazing on an expensive night out, or if you yourself are the master, creating sushi your way, with the items you pick. Moreover it is enjoying the company of other people while your work of art (and each piece you create can be) awaits your dining pleasure. Sushi is not simply seafood and rice; sushi is delighting in of the bounty of the sea, and sharing with others while satisfying a basic need, and lifting it to a form of art.
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