Sushi

The key ingredient of Sushi (すし, 寿司, 鮨) dish is prepared vinegared rice (鮨飯, sushi-meshi). Accompanying with sushi-meshi is a variety of ingredients (ネタ, neta).

Prepared vinegared rice balls (from Sushimeshi) to accompany with seafood, eggs, seaweed are called Shari or Semeshi .This rice balls should not be confused with the type rice ball Onigiri which is made with plain rice (sometimes lightly salted).

Usually,cooked plain rice is put into a wood pot called Tarai, then a mixture of vinegare, salt, saugar and rice wine Mirin to Awasesu or also called Sushisu added to the cooked rice in Tarai for making Sushimeshi.

On other hand Sushi is originated as a way of preserving fish. The prepared fish and other seafood for Sushi dish are named Neta (ネタ). Together Neta and Shari/Semeshi from Sushimeshi will make a Sushi dish.

Basically there are seven styles of Sushi or its presentation:

1.Nigirizushi (握り寿司), 2.Makizushi (巻き寿司), 3. Oshisushi (押し寿司), 4.Narezushi(馴れ寿司, 熟寿司), 5.Inarizushi (稲荷寿司, お稲荷さん,), 6.Chirashizushi (ちらし寿司) or Bara-zushi (バラ寿司), 7.Temakizushi or Temaki (手巻き、手巻き寿司).

Makizushi and Temakizushi can considered as a same style, however the Temaki (手巻, "hand roll") is a large cone-shaped piece of nori on the outside and the ingredients spilling out the wide end. A typical Temaki is about 10 centimetres.

The Makizushi (巻き寿司, "rolled sushi") is a cylindrical piece, formed with the help of a bamboo mat known as a makisu (巻き簾). Makizushi is generally wrapped in nori (seaweed), but is occasionally wrapped in a thin omelette, soy paper, cucumber, or shiso (perilla) leaves. It can be formed with different ingredients and thick, thin or large rolls, then usually cut into six or eight pieces, which constitutes a single roll order.