Sushi Item Profiles
Sushi is no longer a new and arcane food to westerners but in many ways it still retains its mystery. Not just in the sense of the overall experience, but many of the available sushi items are still something that westerners may never have encountered, or still not know much about. Sushi items that are not uncommon can also be served in a myriad of unfamiliar ways and there are new types of fish and other foods that are appearing on menus every day. As sushi continues to become more popular outside Japan, offerings become more diverse and new food items heretofore unavailable are being seen in even in the less traditional sushi restaurants. We have created a new section to highlight the various sushi food items available (with pictures), from the common to the obscure, and everything that goes along with it. For those of you who may wish to know a little more about what you are eating, this is the section for you. We have just begun this daunting venture and will continue to expand this section with new items, and are certainly open to suggestions for new sushi items to profile, so feel free to contact us if you would like to know more about a particular item that you do not see in this section. Have fun reading this section and meshi agare!
Sushi Items
Fugu (Puffer Fish) – Fugu is a delicacy which only licensed chefs are allowed to prepare in Japan.
Hirame and Ohyo – Hirame (hee-rah-meh) is the Japanese term for Fluke, which is another word in the US for Summer flounder.
Maguro (Tuna) – Maguro (mah-goo-roh) is the Japanese term for bluefin tuna, perhaps the best known and most commonly eaten fish in all of sushi dining.
Sake – Sake(sah-keh) is a fermented alcoholic beverage with a long history in Japanese culture.
Shoyu (Soy Sauce) – Shoyu, as Japanese soy sauce is called, is a dark brown sauce created by the fermentation of soy beans.
Sushi Rice – Sushi Rice (sushi meshi), as Japanese rice is commonly called, is best known by the stickiness of its grains.
Uni (Sea Urchin) – Uni (oo-nee) is the Japanese name for the edible part of the Sea Urchin.
Wasabi – Wasabi (wah-sah-bee), often incorrectly called Japanese horseradish, is among the most misunderstood yet integral aspect of the sushi experience.