Many people love eating sushi and do so on a regular basis, but not everyone is aware of the different types of sushi that exist, or what distinguishes one type from the other.
Japanese cuisine consists of much more than just sushi, but in the West we can only taste a part of their gastronomic spectrum, and most of the times what we order has been adapted to the European palate, making it more affordable too.
Whether you are staying in tourist accommodation or enjoying Barcelona every day of the year, this article by ShBarcelona will tell you more about the different types and varieties of sushi that exist.
Related article: Learn How to Make Sushi in Barcelona
Discover delicious types of sushi
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Sushi is a well-known and popular Japanese culinary specialty. Generally, sushi is prepared in small portions, and most of the times you can eat them in one bite. They come in different forms and shapes.
You can also try a sushi rice bowl with pieces of fish and other ingredients on top. This is called chirashizushi.
Outside of Japan, the name ‘sushi’ refers to the most common varieties, like makizushi or nigirizushi. There is also sashimi, which is raw fish, but without the rice.
Sushi is traditionally eaten by hand, although restaurants will normally serve it with chop sticks (hashi). As said before, a piece of sushi is usually eaten in one bite, and it is considered rude to break them into two or eat them in multiple bites.
If it is not possible to eat the whole piece of sushi at once, in Japan they will hold the part that would not fit in their mouth with chopsticks, only to eat it immediately after the first part has been swallowed.
Related article: All-You-Can-Eat Sushi in Barcelona
Photo via Pixabay
Maki. This is the most well-known type of sushi in Spain. “Maki” means roll in Japanese, and that is exactly what maki is: rice with raw fish and other ingredients, rolled in nori (seaweed). If the roll is very thin, it is called hosomaki, if it is thicker it is called futomaki and if it is filled with cucumber, this is kappamaki.
Uramaki. “Ura” literally means opposite, it is a maki, but then inside out. So this time, the rice is wrapped on the outside of the nori roll that contains the ingredients.
Temaki. “Te” means by hand. Temaki are nori in the shape of a cone, filled with rice and other ingredients. We know them as hand rolls.
Nigiri. Niguiri is also sushi, but then without the use of nori. They are small, kneaded bars of rice, covered with a piece of raw fish or other ingredients, like Japanese, sweet omelet.
Gunkan: This is a boat-like shape, with rice wrapped in a strip of nori. This little boat is often filled with fish roe.
Inari. This looks like a spring roll, but it is made of fried tofu (inari in Japanese) and it is filled with flavoured rice and/or vegetables.
Oshi. Literally “to push” or “to press”, it consists of a layer of rice with fish or vegetables, and it is then “pressed” in a square or rectangular shaped mold, called oshibako.
Chirasi. This word means “to spread”, and chirasi is typically prepared by “spreading” the rice, raw fish and other sushi ingredients out on a plate. If you don’t have time to prepare each little piece of sushi, this is your best option with the same ingredients.
What is your favourite type of sushi?
I like nigiri. Because I can taste the neta better than the maki version.