Sushi and rolls: what is the difference between popular Japanese dishes?

What is sushi

You can understand the varieties of Japanese dishes by knowing their characteristics. Many people know what sushi is, since the dish has long spread throughout Russia and is found in various restaurants (not only Asian cuisine), in many cafes and street food outlets.

In recent years, Japanese cuisine has appeared on the menus of even conservative restaurants - the public’s love for fresh, light, tasty, aesthetically impeccable dishes coming from the Land of the Rising Sun is so strong. The most common Japanese dish is sushi. It is prepared from rice, complemented with seafood, vegetables, river and sea fish. There are dessert varieties with fruit. Sushi is a large category of Japanese cuisine, including nigiri, sashimi, makizushi, uramaki, and temaki. In total, there are more than 50 varieties of sushi, differing in appearance, ingredients, and method of preparation.

In the past, sushi was a method of marinating and long-term storage of fish. To make it fit better, it was filled with rice, which was later thrown away. The technology did not change for many centuries, but a breakthrough occurred in the 15th century - it turned out that the product used for harvesting could be eaten. Over time, other methods of marinating fish were invented, and sushi was modernized to its current form - a compressed ball of rice, resembling a flatbread, decorated with fish.

There are different types of sushi

The most popular type of sushi is nigirizushi, a compressed ball of rice topped with fish or caviar. The structure is tied with a strip of seaweed.

Dish features:

• presence of seafood in the filling;
• using wine vinegar;
• stacking components in a tower shape;
• serve cold.

Nigiri

Species diversity

Sushi

There are quite a large number of types of sushi, it is very difficult to understand them, but we can highlight the most popular and memorable ones:

• Makizushi are classic rolls that we so often mistakenly call simply “sushi.”
• Temaki is not often found in our cafes and restaurants. These are cone-shaped bags made of nori seaweed, and inside the filling is, of course, rice plus fish and other seafood.
• Gunkan is an oval of rice, wrapped around the edges with a sheet of nori, and topped with filling and a lot of sauce, such as caviar.

Gunkan

• Pressed sushi - their preparation method is based on the ancient method of preserving fish, when it was tightly packed into wooden boxes with rice diluted with vinegar. Today, using these boxes, each layer of sushi is pressed and then cut into portions through special holes in the box.
• Stuffed sushi (inari - very unusual for us. Most often these are bags of nori (or bean curd - tofu), filled with rice and a variety of seafood.
• Chirashizushi does not at all resemble the classic type of sushi. This is the so-called sushi for the lazy. Rice is placed on a plate, fish and other seafood are placed on top, and chopped nori sheets are also added.

Temaki

Rolls

Rolls, as we wrote above, are a subtype of sushi and they, in turn, are divided into:

• Hosomaki are small sushi rolls usually made with only one filling - tuna and salmon (though many also include avocado, carrot or cucumber) and are wrapped only in nori on the outside. The most popular types: kappamaki (with cucumber), tekkamaki (with salmon and tuna), negitoromaki (with tuna and onions), tsunamayomaki (with tuna and mayonnaise).
• Futomaki is distinguished from other types of rolls by its size: usually five or six centimeters. You definitely can't eat them in one bite. Usually they are “stuffed” with 3-4 ingredients. Vegetarian futomaki with cucumbers, mushrooms, avocado, carrots and omelette are common. Non-vegetarian futomaki is made with crab or raw tuna.
• Norimaki is a sheet of nori on the outside of the roll, uramaki is rice on the outside of the roll, the sheet of nori is curled inside.

Futomaki

What are rolls

Sushi and its subtype makizushi (rolls) have long been loved in European countries. Makizushi are especially popular due to their simple shape and ease of use. Rolls are cylinders of rice wrapped in seaweed and cut into small pieces. There are several subspecies; divided by size, location of algae, and the presence of auxiliary ingredients. Rolls is a word used only outside of Japan. It comes from the English “roll”.

Outside Japan, rolls have become a separate dish

Serving sushi and rolls

The least obvious difference between sushi and rolls

– their presentation. It is customary to serve both with pickled white or red ginger and hot wasabi sauce. The most important addition is soy sauce, which makes the rice juicy.

The difference lies in the serving options. It can be cold or hot. Rolls can be served in these two ways, but sushi can only be served in the first way. Delivery of rolls and sushi is carried out in special containers. But before serving directly, they need to be placed in a ceramic plate or on a wooden board.

Cooking principles

The main thing in making sushi is rice. Choose cereals that do not contain crushed grains.

Nuances:

• the rice is washed until the drained water becomes clear;
• boil without salt;
• add water so that it rises 1.5 cm above the grain;
• Before boiling, stir the cereal with a wooden spatula to avoid burning;
• cook over low heat;
• cook for 12 minutes.

The cooked rice is transferred to a clean container, seasoned with rice vinegar, stirred and allowed to cool slightly. To prepare sushi, use a warm product.

Varieties

Rolls are the most popular, but not the only common type of sushi in our country. Restaurants offer:

• hosomaki (mono-rolls) - thin rolls filled with one product (usually prepared with eel, tuna, salmon);
• futomaki (large rolls) - large rolls wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with several products;
• uramaki (turned inside out) - rolls in which seaweed is inside a rice roll, sprinkled with sesame seeds or caviar;
• nigiri - classic rice balls tied with seaweed with fish and seafood;
• gunkan maki - oval rice balls, tied with nori and topped with filling (often made with tobiko);
• oshizushi - blocks of pressed main ingredient and filling, prepared using wooden oshibako;
• inari - sushi in the form of bags filled with rice and filling;
• Tirasi is one of the simplest options. Made from finely chopped, fried, mixed ingredients. Served on a plate.

Gunkan-maki

Composition, filling

Cooking Japanese cuisine involves not only careful adherence to technology, but also a philosophical approach, a combination of ingredients that suit each other and the season.

Main components:

• rice;
• rice vinegar;
• seafood;
• seaweed.

You need to know that vegetables, avocado, cheese, and meat are allowed as fillings, but such sushi is far from traditional.

Rice is the main ingredient

Preparation

Preparing sushi:

• preparation of components;
• forming a rice block;
• applying a layer of filling;
• decoration with seaweed.

Creating rolls involves:

• preparation of ingredients;
• laying seaweed on a mat;
• wrapping the rice and filling into a roll using seaweed and a mat;
• cutting the roll into small pieces.

The main difference is that nigiri is made by hand only, while makizushi requires a mat.

Innings

In Japan, they are sensitive to the presentation of food to the table, since appearance affects perception and taste impressions.

Nuances:

• nigiri is served fresh, makizushi - after a short stay in the refrigerator;
• all sushi is served on sushioka, bamboo trays, wooden boards (bright dishes are not suitable);
• the dish must be accompanied by wasabi and pickled ginger;
• Fresh herbs, vegetable and fruit figurines, and flowers are recommended for decoration;
• soy sauce is served in a seyuzara or a jug.

When serving sushi, be sure to bring not only chopsticks, but also hashioka - a stand for them.

Serving is an important aspect of Japanese cuisine

Method of use

According to the Japanese rules of makizushi etiquette, men eat nigiri with their hands or chopsticks; women are not allowed to pick up food with their fingers.

Features of use:

• wipe your hands with a warm, damp towel;
• mix wasabi and soy sauce with chopsticks;
• take a portion of the dish with chopsticks, lightly dip into the sauce;
• take small bites, do not swallow the whole portion;
• after makizushi, nigiri, you need to eat a piece of pickled ginger to overcome the taste;
• drink green tea with sushi.

Etiquette rules prohibit licking chopsticks or inserting them into rice.

Consumption is regulated by etiquette

Sushi: history, types, subtleties of preparation

It is more correct to call the delicacy sushi. The word "sushi" arose as a result of the spread of pronunciation in the English version. This is a Japanese dish. Prepared from seafood, rice and other ingredients. Sushi began to gain popularity in the 80s of the last century. Interestingly, the fashion for it came to Russia not from its real homeland - Japan, but from Western countries.

The dish originated in South Asia. Then they cooked the rice, added small pieces of fish, salt and placed it all under a press, which was then replaced with a regular lid. The dish remained in this form for a couple of months. Thanks to lactic acid fermentation, fish could be stored for a long time - up to a year. In the 7th century, technology “reached” Japan.

Classic Japanese sushi

Rice sushi originated in the 17th century. The composition included rice, vegetables, various seafood, and rice malt. Rice vinegar was added to these ingredients. It prevented the fermentation of the dish and speeded up the cooking process. The seafood used back then was marinated.

In the 19th century One Japanese chef decided to serve raw fish. This allowed us to reduce cooking time. Sushi became very popular, and different styles of preparation began to appear. Restaurants and eateries specializing in preparing sushi also appeared. Even regular stores now have ready-made kits.

Since the 19th century the principle of preparing this delicacy remained the same, only new components and recipe options were added. The latest stage in the history of the dish is the introduction of special machines - sushi robots, which replaced many sushi chefs.

There are many varieties of sushi. Each of them contains rice. Most popular:

• nigirizushi – rice, filling, wasabi;
• makizushi (rolls) – cylindrical, rice is wrapped in nori (dried seaweed) along with the filling;
• oshizushi - sushi that looks like small compressed rice blocks with filling inside;
• inarizushi - a bag of omelette, dry pumpkin or fried tofu with rice inside;
• Chirashizushi – rice with stuffing on top.

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Small white rice is suitable for sushi. It is mixed with salt, rice vinegar, sugar. Cooked rice should be at room temperature.

Only ocean fish that has been previously frozen should be used raw. Commonly used fillings include yellowtail, salmon, tuna, snapper, mackerel and eel. The filling can also include sea urchins, squid, caviar, shrimp, octopus, and clams.

Among vegetables, daikon, soy, avocado, pumpkin, sweet corn, tofu, asparagus, cucumber, and yam are added to sushi. They can also add pickled vegetables to the dish. Eggs in the delicacy play the role of filling or can be bags for rice.

The idea that only fish is used in sushi is incorrect. There are recipes where meat serves as the filling. It is also possible to add sausage. Traditional seasonings: soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, wasabi.

Other Important Points

An important aspect of Japanese cuisine is the concept of season. This also applies to sushi. The concept of seasonality (shun) involves using a product at a time when it is abundantly available in nature. Shun incorporates the principle of territoriality: the emphasis is on ingredients that are characteristic of the area. Dishes are decorated so that the color reflects the dominant colors in nature.

According to Japanese concepts, the symbols of the seasons:

• spring – salmon, sakura flowers, bamboo shoots;
• autumn – matsutake mushrooms;
• winter - seafood, sea fish;
• summer – eel, vegetables.

Short grain rice from Japan

For delicious sushi, you need to get a special rice called sushi meshi or, as it is also called, sumeshi. This is a special Japanese rice that has a high gluten content. It is typically flavored with sweet rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes sake.

The most important property that should be characteristic of such rice is its high stickiness. It feels a little tougher than the usual cereal, due to the fact that it is prepared in less liquid. In order for the rice to reach the desired consistency, it is instantly cooled and stirred sharply in a wooden bowl. Seasonings for the cereal can be different - it completely depends on the type of intended sushi filling, since in different countries they prefer different components that make up the dish.

Nare sushi

Nare sushi is prepared according to an old recipe and is a fermented product. There are two types of such sushi:

— Nare-sushi is aged sushi, for which the fish is specially salted in barrels for 10 days, then it is soaked in water, put back in the barrel, sprinkled with layers of cooked rice, and kept under pressure for almost six months. The shelf life of such sushi is very long - about 6 months;

- Funa-sushi and - sushi, which is prepared in the same way as nare, only freshwater fish (crucian carp or carp) is also used during the fermentation process.