Whether it’s nigiri-zushi or nori rolls, rotating on a conveyer belt or lined up in a row, right now in Melbourne you’ll see a sushi shop on every block. There is so much information about ‘our sushi’, popular as a healthy food worldwide, that even Japanese people may not know all the facts. So here, we bring you a big sushi special. Enjoy these morsels of information, and you’ll enjoy your sushi all the more.

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SUSHI

IN THEORY

The origin of sushi

Sushi’s origins can be traced back to a fish preserving method used in Southeast Asia. Freshwater fish were cooked with rice or other grains, and then pickled together, with the fermented rice preserving the fish. This method spread to China, then via Korea to Japan in the Nara period, and came to be known as ‘nare-zushi’. Descended from this was the ‘funa-zushi’ of Shiga Prefecture, which is crucian carp from Lake Biwa pickled in salt then fermented in cooked rice. Vinegar came on the scene in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, and at the popular food stalls of the late Edo period, ‘nigiri-zushi’ (hand-pressed sushi) appeared. This came to be known as ‘Edo-style sushi’, as it used seafood and seaweed from Tokyo (formerly Edo) Bay.

The three ways to write ‘sushi’

In English there is only one way to write ‘sushi’, but in Japanese there are three, each with its own meaning. The most common is 寿司, two kanji chosen for their fortunate associations.

Another way is 鮓, meaning ‘fermented fish’, resulting in this spelling used for fermented sushi. The last way of spelling is 鮨 meaning to shape with the hands or mould, so this is used for nigiri-zushi, etc.

The many kinds of sushi

Nigiri-zushi is a bite-sized oblong of pressed rice, spread with a little wasabi and topped with seafood. Softer toppings such as salmon roe or sea urchin are contained by wrapping nori seaweed around the rice; this is known as gunkan-maki (‘battleship roll’ – so named for its resemblance to a battleship).

When rice and a filling is spread out on nori and it is then rolled up and cut into pieces, that is called nori-maki. Thick rolls of over 5cm containing many fillings are called futo-maki, medium-sized ones with mainly seafood inside are naka-maki, and thin ones of around 3cm in diameter with just one filling are called hosomaki.

The inside out typed shape, with nori on the inside and rice on the outside, is called ura-maki. Chirashi-zushi is vinegarseasoned rice scattered with seafood, and oshi-zushi is when the rice is shaped not by hand but by pressing into a mould. It is made in large batches and cut into pieces just before eating.

IN PRACTICE

No perfume, no smoking

When first visiting a sushi restaurant, sit not at the counter but at a table. In some places, the counter seats are considered to be reserved for regulars, as they allow customers to enjoy conversing with the sushi chefs. Do not wear strong perfume or smoke cigarettes in the restaurant. Also, take care not to over-use sushi jargon.

Chopsticks or hands? It’s up to you

When you arrive in your seat, an ‘oshibori’ (wet towel) will be brought, so first wipe your hands on that. It’s okay to eat sushi with chopsticks or with your hands. If using chopsticks, turn the sushi on its side and pick it up so that the two chopsticks hold the rice and topping together.

If using hands, gently pick up the sushi, holding the rice and topping together using your index and middle fingers to support it.

Whether you use chopsticks or hands, turn the sushi upside down so you can dip the topping in a little soy sauce, and put it in your mouth so that the topping hits your tongue first.

One piece? One bite

Ten pieces of sushi is considered to serve one person. Each piece should be eaten in one bite; this is because if eaten a little at a time, the rice might crumble or dry out, and it also shows respect to the art of the sushi chef who carefully formed the piece.

If you really can’t manage in one bite, divide the rice in half before eating. Sushi may begin to oxidise or change colour as soon as it is made, so try to eat it as soon as it’s served.

Chopsticks tips

If you need to put down your chopsticks mid-meal, place them on the chopstick rest; if there isn’t a chopstick rest, in the paper envelope the chopsticks came in; if there isn’t an envelope, rest the tips of the chopsticks on the soy sauce dish.

However, it is bad manners to rest the entirety of the chopsticks across any bowl or dish. Also, it may be okay to use hands for sushi, but you should use chopsticks for pickled ginger (and don’t put it on top of sushi).

Just enough soy sauce

Only pour as much soy sauce as you need into the sauce dish, aiming to have none left by the time you finish eating.

Don’t dissolve wasabi in the soy sauce or separate the topping from the rice to dip it in. With gunkan-maki, dip the nori only a tiny bit into the soy sauce, or use a piece of ginger to spread a little soy sauce on the topping.

With anago (freshwater eel sushi) or other types that already have a sauce, it is best not to add soy sauce.

An order for eating sushi?

There is no special sequence for eating sushi, but people generally go from sushi that is light or with the silver skin left on, to more strongly flavoured and fattier red meat/shellfish/roe, to sushi with sweet eel sauce or rolled omelette.

Last of all could be a refreshing nori-maki. This sequence is because subtle flavours may get lost if sampled after stronger ones.

Ordering a sushi roll can signal the end of a meal, so save those till you’re nearly full and ready to leave.

FIVE SUPPORTING PLAYERS

Here are five things that have important supporting roles at a sushi restaurant, and the special names (different from regular Japanese) they are known by in Japan.

GREEN TEA ‘AGARI’ あがり
From the word for tea served in Edo-period pleasure quarters

Green tea washes away any oil left on the tongue from the previous sushi topping eaten, and has an antibacterial effect. At sushi restaurants, the ‘konacha’ type is generally used because the colour and flavour intensify quickly.

PICKLED GINGER ‘GARI’ がり
From ‘gari-gari’, the crunching sound when you bite into it

As well as removing the smell of previous sushi toppings, ginger also contains gingerol, which has antibacterial properties and can reduce the risk of food poisoning. It can also help neutralise too much wasabi.

WASABI ‘NAMIDA’ なみだ
From the word for tears, because too much can make you cry

Hot, sharp and volatile, wasabi dispels fishy aromas while bringing out the topping’s flavour. It can be mixed with the soy sauce which sushi is dipped in, but is sometimes spread between the rice and the topping to best preserve its antibacterial effect and spicy kick.

VINEGARED RICE ‘SHARI’ しゃり
From the word for bones left after Buddha’s cremation

Has a preserving antibacterial effect. At sushi restaurants, cracked and kibbled older rice is mixed in with new rice so that vinegar soaks into it better. The vinegar and sugar also helps prevent the rice from hardening.

SOY SAUCE ‘MURASAKI’ むらさき
From the word for purple; an expensive condiment and an expensive colour

The amino acid-derived methanol in soy sauce removes fishy odours, and the salt, alcohol and organic acids help stop the growth of bacteria.

TOPPINGS AVAILABLE IN MELBOURNE

Japanese cuisine aims to stimulate the five senses, and aims to use five preparation methods, five flavours, and five colours. This last one contributes to nutritional balance as well as appearance, and is used in sushi toppings as follows.

Photographs with thanks to Kenzan 45 Collins St, Melbourne 03 9654 8933 kenzan.com.au