Sashimi

Sashimi, raw thinly sliced food, is a traditional form of dining in Japan that goes back thousands of years. The practice of eating raw fish first arrived to Japan via China around 500 BCE, and since then it’s become an integral part of the Japanese diet. The name “sashimi” (刺身|さしみ) literally means “cut body” in Japanese, but it uses the kanji character for “pierce” rather than “cut” as the kanji for “cut” was considered an auspicious term reserved for samurai.

While sashimi can refer to almost any kind of meat—including raw beef, chicken, and even horse—fish and seafood are the most popular items to be eaten this way. Sashimi is made by cutting the ingredients into bite-sized rectangular shapes, thin diagonal slices, small firm squares, or thin julienned slivers.

Many non-Japanese use the terms sashimi and sushi interchangeably, but the two dishes are distinct and separate. Sushi refers to any dish made with vinegared rice. While raw fish is one of traditional sushi ingredients, many sushi dishes contain seafood that has been cooked, and others have no seafood at all. Sashimi by contrast is always served on its own.

Sashimi is typically served on a platter or on ice with some sort of garnish, including shredded daikon radish, shiso perilla herb, kogiku chrysanthemum flower, benitade (red water pepper sprouts), and sometimes even accompanied by the head and tails of the fish that the sashimi was cut from, or the shells that the shellfish was taken from. For condiments, soy sauce and grated wasabi horseradish are usually provided, and sometimes ponzu, a citrus-y soy sauce, may also be offered.

There are more than 20 popular types of Sashimi, for example: Katsuo (Bonito / Skipjack Tuna), Otoro (Most expensive tuna cut), Chutoro (Pink Tuna cut with higher fat content) Sake (Salmon), Ebi/Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp / Prawns), Maguro (Bluefin Tuna), Ika (Squid),Ahi (Yellowfin & Bigeye Tuna), Hotate (Scallops), Basashi (Horse meat cut), Ikura (Salmen roe), Fugu cut, Awabi (Abalone cut). Aji (Horse Mackerel cut), Saba (Mackerel cut)  ect.