The constant desire to learn something new and unknown is also evident in the culinary preferences of the modern generation. Today it is quite popular to eat national Japanese sushi and rolls in restaurants and even try to cook these rather complex dishes at home. In order for Japanese food to bring as much benefit and taste pleasure as possible, you need to know what the rolls come with. By learning the correct combination of these exotic dishes with other products, you can surprise and delight your guests with a delicious feast.
Mandatory products that are served with rolls are the popular soy sauce, aromatic pickled ginger and wasabi paste, also called Japanese horseradish. These products are standard set to the rolls.
In such combinations, ginger marinated in a special way is intended to neutralize the aftertaste of already eaten pieces of sushi, similar to how when choosing an expensive perfume you need to inhale the aroma of coffee beans. The purpose of soy sauce is to add a savory flavor to raw and almost tasteless pieces of fish. More than half a century ago, soy sauce was not served with rolls, since they only used fish that had been pre-processed over fire or in a marinade. Green wasabi paste is a natural and natural antiseptic that is used to coat the fish before putting it into the rice roll. The absence of wasabi paste in rolls is even regarded as sufficient gross violation of cooking rules.
The rolls are often served with white daikon radish finely chopped in a special grater and seaweed salad with sesame seeds. You can also get a good combination if you serve the rolls with a salad of vegetables or vegetables with seafood. Or you can serve cooked rolls and a variety of fresh vegetables on one dish, beautifully cut into some shapes, such food will be well digested and absorbed by the body.
A good combination is obtained from rolls and pieces of vegetables, mushrooms and seafood fried in batter, called tempura. You can also eat rolls with miso soup, to which a special bean-based paste is added. Dishes served with sushi and rolls should enrich the taste of the main dishes.
Traditionally, in Japan, nut sauce is served on the table, which is made from peanuts or cashews, apples, garlic and other ingredients. A variety of fillings, which are placed in all kinds of rolls, harmonizes well with the light and slightly sweet sauce. Peanut sauce is most popular in combination with hot rolls, which are fashionable nowadays.
Drinks with rolls go well with traditional green and delicate white tea, either in pure form or with the addition of various flowers and fruits, such as jasmine. Tea is drunk during the meal itself, it helps improve digestion, and also does not interrupt the delicate taste of the roll. In Japan, before meals they drink traditional sake, heated to 40 degrees. Also popular among alcoholic beverages are plum wine and rice beer, but other alcoholic drinks are not served with sushi and rolls, and in general it is better to abstain from alcohol so as not to harm your health.
Oriental cuisine is becoming deeper and stronger in our lives. Japanese sushi has become especially popular here. Those who have only recently decided to become a fan of Japanese cuisine may initially have difficulty figuring out exactly how to eat sushi.
In this article we would like to tell you how to eat Japanese sushi correctly. You will also learn how to hold Japanese chopsticks correctly. In addition, you will read about the peculiarities of Japanese etiquette and will be able to show your knowledge during a friendly or romantic meeting in an oriental restaurant.
How to eat sushi correctly?
Sushi, as you know, is served in small portions, so you must eat it whole, without dividing it into small parts. Unfortunately, many people, when trying sushi for the first time, strive to divide it, which makes the overall appearance of the dish less neat and representative.Actually, there is no special order in how to eat sushi. However, the unspoken rule is that you need to start with sushi wrapped in nori seaweed. The fact is that these algae very quickly come into contact with rice, and the sushi may lose some of its taste.
First, place the sushi on its side. Then use Chinese chopsticks to slightly lift it. Holding the top layer of sushi and rice with chopsticks, dip them in soy sauce. To make the sushi more juicy, you can keep it in the sauce for 3-5 seconds.
Then put the whole sushi in your mouth so that the top of the sushi is directly on your tongue and chew. It's quite simple.
How to eat sushi correctly - a lesson from a Japanese chef
To enhance the taste or spiciness, wasabi (Japanese horseradish) is added to soy sauce or to the sushi itself. Depending on your love for spicy food and the spiciness of the sauce, dissolve the required amount in soy sauce and then dip the sushi in it.
Ginger, which is also served with sushi, serves to refresh the mouth before changing “dishes”, in order to feel the taste of different sushi.
How to eat with chopsticks?
Since sushi must be eaten using special chopsticks (hashi, hashi), you will need to learn how to hold these same chopsticks correctly and use them correctly. 
First of all, you need to take one stick and hold it at a distance of a third from its upper end. As a rule, sticks have one end thin and the other thick. The thick end of the stick should be taken as the “top”. The stick must be secured between the index finger and thumb. You need to hold it with your thumb and ring fingers. In this case, the index, thumb and middle finger should form a ring.
The second, upper stick, should be held parallel to the lower one at a short distance, about one and a half centimeters. You need to hold it approximately the same way you hold a pencil while writing.
How to use chopsticks?
While eating, only the top stick should move. By bending your index finger, you should bring the chopsticks together and pick up the sushi with them.
How to eat sushi: rules of etiquette
The East and Japan in particular are known for their wisdom and philosophy. In Japan, great importance is attached to etiquette and the ceremony of eating. If you want to join them, you should know some rules of etiquette.It is not customary for true Japanese to pass sushi or other food to each other with chopsticks. This reminds them of the farewell ritual. Therefore, in this case, they simply pass the entire dish.
It is also not customary to wave chopsticks while speaking. Such gestures are a sign of bad taste. Agree, there is something similar in European etiquette: it is considered shameful to wave a fork or, even more so, a knife.
You should not use chopsticks to select a piece on a common dish. It’s better to choose it with your eyes in advance, and then just take it from a common plate. By the way, separate serving sticks are usually served for this. With their help, you should take the necessary piece from a common dish to your own. However, it is worth remembering that, according to etiquette, this is usually done with the opposite end of the chopsticks.
According to Japanese tradition, men are allowed to eat sushi with their hands. But women must use special chopsticks for sushi.
In modern restaurants of oriental cuisine, customers can be served the forks and spoons that are so familiar to us: the waiter usually asks what utensils you are most used to eating with. However, if you want to adhere to tradition, you should use chopsticks.
How fun is it to eat sushi?
According to Japanese tradition, guests are required to bring a damp towel before serving sushi. It's called oshibori. This is done, firstly, in order to cleanse the hands before eating, and secondly, to cleanse the soul. A wet towel removes negative energy and prepares a person for eating. Usually the towel has a pleasant menthol smell and refreshes your hands despite the fact that it is hot.
And finally, remember that eating sushi is considered a real ritual among the Japanese. Therefore, according to the editors of the site, if you want to learn how to eat sushi according to all the rules, it is better to first practice using chopsticks at home or ask your friends to teach you how to eat with chopsticks.
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Many people who have never tried rolls before fall in love with their taste the first time. If you decide to treat your home or invited guests to this exotic dish, then you just need to learn how to eat rolls correctly in order to comply with all the rules of oriental etiquette.
Learning to eat rolls correctly
The first thing you have to learn is to eat rolls with chopsticks. Of course, you can use forks, but then the meal will lose its charm. You can take a few lessons from someone who already masters this skill, or go specifically to a sushi bar to receive a master class from an experienced waiter.
After mastering the chopsticks, you can move on to the actual ceremony of eating the rolls. First, guests are served a hot towel, which they must use to dry their hands. This is what they do in sushi restaurants. You can adopt this technique for a Japanese-style meal at home.
Eating rolls correctly is as follows:
- Take one piece and carefully dip it into the sauce, not entirely, but only from the edge. Although the rolls are quite large, it is not recommended to cut or bite them;
- After you have tried one type of roll, you should eat a piece of ginger. This will help remove one taste in order to taste another;
- When serving different rolls, there is no special order in which they should be eaten. However, experts advise starting with pieces wrapped in nori (seaweed used to make sushi and rolls) so that it does not lose its crispy properties.
What to serve the rolls with
The Japanese place great importance on how food is presented. They believe that before enjoying the taste, you need to admire the look of the food. Rolls are no exception. They should be served to the table in a beautiful dish, placing them on it in the form of patterns. Colored and mosaic rolls look elegant.
There are two ways to serve rolls:
- The food is served to each guest on a separate plate;
- One large dish is placed on the table, and everyone chooses what to try, transferring what they have chosen to their personal plate.
If the dish can be shared, then the bowls for the sauce and ginger should be separate.
In addition to pickled ginger and soy sauce, you should definitely serve wasabi with the rolls. This seasoning will give them a special spiciness and emphasize their unique taste. Just do not overuse the amount of this hot sauce, otherwise you will not feel the taste of either fish or rice.
Separately about drinks
Green tea goes well with rolls. It refreshes, cools and allows you to more fully experience a new taste. Green tea is usually served during meals.
There are also liquor options. If you follow Japanese traditions exactly, you will need real sake vodka or special plum wine with the addition of green tea or honey (quite expensive and quite rare). You won’t be able to find this on supermarket shelves, so you can use vintage white wine as an alternative.
Modern Japanese etiquette requires women to eat sushi only with chopsticks, while men can choose to eat with chopsticks or with their hands. As for sashimi (raw fish or seafood fillets cut into thin slices and served with seasonings), even men should not eat them with their hands.
While eating, sushi is carefully taken by the edge, pinched either with chopsticks or between the thumb and middle finger, and held on top with the index finger. After this, they are dipped in soy sauce on the fish side. If you do this on the rice side, then, according to the Japanese, the taste will be ruined. Dip the sushi only lightly to bring out the flavor. It is wrong to bite off the sushi piece by piece and return the remainder to the plate. Sushi should be of a size that can easily fit into your mouth. It is sushi and sashimi that the Japanese mainly consume; the most popular “rolls” in Russia can rarely be found there.
What types of sushi are there?
There are quite a lot of varieties of classic sushi. The most popular are:
Nigirizushi (nigiri sushi)) is rice with a slice of fresh raw fish on top, sometimes the whole thing is tied with a thin strip of nori.
Gunkan-maki- oval-shaped sushi, inside a ring of nori there is rice, the filling is laid out on top.
Oshizushi- sushi in the form of a block, made using an oshibako (special wooden press). The filling is placed on the bottom of the device and covered with rice, then the cook squeezes the press. The resulting “block” is cut into small pieces.
Chirashizushi- a plate of rice with filling scattered on top.
Makizushi- those same rolls.
They also have several variations:
Futomaki- large rolls with two or three types of filling, wrapped in nori.
Hosomaki— monorolls with one type of filling (for example, a tuna roll).
Uramaki- the roll is the opposite: it has rice on the outside, and nori and filling on the inside (California roll).
Tempura- roll in batter, fried in oil.
How is sushi served?
Sushi is served on a wooden stand or board. Along with the dish, pickled ginger and wasabi - Japanese horseradish - are served. Ginger should be eaten to clear your taste buds before you try another type of sushi. You can take the ginger with your hands, but you don’t need to dip it in soy sauce. It is also not recommended to place it on top of sushi.
Soy sauce is also served in a special sauce boat.
Wasabi makes sushi a little spicier, so spicy lovers can add it to soy sauce.
How to use chopsticks correctly?
1. First, take one stick (at a distance of one third from the upper end) between the thumb and index fingers of the right hand. Hold the stick with the thumb and ring fingers so that the index, middle and thumb form a ring.
2. Take the second stick, placing it parallel to the first, at a distance of 15 mm. When the middle finger straightens, the sticks move apart.
3. Bring the chopsticks together, bending the index finger, and pinch the food with the tips.
You do not know How to eat sushi correctly? No problem! Check out our helpful tips and tricks and feel confident at the table of even the most sophisticated Japanese restaurant.
Popularity of sushi throughout the world is so great that it is difficult to find a person who is not yet familiar with this dish. However, few realize that for the Japanese, eating this dish is not just an act of absorbing food, but a whole spiritual ritual. We'll talk about how to eat sushi correctly below.
T the meal needs to start using a special warm towel. Taking care of hygiene is the first rule of any Japanese. By the way, you can use the same towel while eating.
If you ordered sushi several types, that is, they can be in any order. However, as a rule of thumb, start with the treats wrapped in nori leaves before they absorb too much moisture and lose flavor.
The dishes are served soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi. Take the plate with the sauce in your left hand, use the other hand to grab the roll or sushi and gently dip it into the sauce. Many people are concerned about the question: how to eat sushi? Whole or can you take a bite? The answer is simple: mini-rolls are eaten completely, and large ones are divided into parts for convenience. In between dishes, eat a piece of ginger: this way you can fully experience the taste of the treats. For spiciness, you can dissolve a small pea of wasabi in a plate of sauce.
Don't get too carried away with ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. Remember that these are just seasonings that help you better enjoy the harmonious taste of sushi. Otherwise, you risk not feeling anything at all.
Modern Japanese etiquette allows men to eat sushi with both their hands and chopsticks. In contrast, women can only use chopsticks. According to tradition, beautiful ladies should not get their hands dirty for only one reason: to be ready at any time to take out a dagger and stand up for themselves. Of course, sitting in a restaurant or sushi bar, you are unlikely to have to grab a weapon. However, not knowing how to use traditional Japanese cutlery will certainly put you in an awkward position. A small instruction on the package with chopsticks will help you not look ridiculous. As a last resort, ask the waiter to serve you training sticks: they are much easier to handle.
Knocking, waving or shaking sticks, licking them and using them as a pointer is bad manners. Also, under no circumstances stick them into rice: the Japanese only do this at funerals. After your meal, place your chopsticks on the rack. Concluding the list of recommendations, let’s talk a little about How do the Japanese eat sushi?. As a rule, residents of the Land of the Rising Sun eat their meals slowly, savoring every bite. Before starting a meal, they drink warm sake, and between courses they take a sip of green tea. They finish their meal with the same drink.
How to use sushi chopsticks?
As we said above, It is customary to eat sushi using special chopsticks– hashi (hashi). They are made from wood, bamboo, metal and even ivory. The Japanese use such cutlery to consume absolutely all dishes: from soups to desserts. Read below to learn how to properly eat sushi with chopsticks.
First you need to learn how to hold the chopsticks correctly. Relax your hand. Now slightly extend your middle and index fingers and bend your ring finger. Hold the bottom stick between your index and middle fingers so that it is securely fixed. Hold the second stick as if you were using a ballpoint pen. Place it on the first phalanx of your index finger and support it with the tip of your thumb. You should be able to squeeze and unclench the hashi easily, using it like a pair of tongs.
To confidently use Japanese chopsticks, you may need to practice a little. You can, for example, use video tutorials that you can easily find on the Internet. Videos of how to eat sushi with chopsticks are flooding the Internet.
“Sushi mania” during pregnancy: pros and cons
Today, probably only lazy people don’t talk about the benefits of sushi. Tasty, healthy, low-calorie - this is how most of these dishes can be described. They usually contain fresh vegetables, mushrooms, fish and seafood, and the cooking process almost completely eliminates harmful fats. However, even these super-healthy treats aren't for everyone. For example, the question “Can pregnant women eat sushi?” still remains open. Scientific debate on this has been going on for decades. We will give only some general recommendations.
Secondly, be careful with hot sauces and wasabi. These products can aggravate gastrointestinal problems, so well known to many expectant mothers. In addition, overly spicy foods lead to dehydration. Thirdly, during pregnancy, forget about ginger. This product, as statistics have shown, very often causes an allergic reaction in women in an “interesting situation.” Scientists believe that hormonal changes in the body are to blame.
And one last thing. Don't forget that pregnancy is not a disease. If you can’t imagine your life without sushi and rolls, you shouldn’t completely eliminate them from your “pregnant” diet. Just be more careful when choosing a dish and carefully study its ingredients. And to be completely confident in the freshness and quality of the products, cook at home. Bon appetit!
