sushi

Imagine a carefully made Japanese dish built around vinegared rice and paired with ingredients like fish, seafood, vegetables, or egg. Some kinds use raw fish, but many use cooked or pickled ingredients instead. It began long ago as a way to preserve fish in fermented rice, and over time it became the fresh, neatly prepared food many people know today. You might enjoy nigiri (a piece of fish over rice) or maki (rice and fillings rolled in seaweed). Sashimi (thin slices of raw fish) is often served with it, but it is not the same thing because it has no rice.

Sushi is a Japanese dish made with vinegared rice and combined with other ingredients such as fish, shellfish, vegetables, egg, or seaweed. Many people connect it with raw fish, but that is only one part of the picture. A sushi dish may include raw, cooked, pickled, or fermented ingredients, and in some styles the rice is the main feature.

The word is strongly tied to Japanese food and dining. Its history goes back to an older method of preserving fish in fermented rice, a practice that developed in Asia and later changed in Japan into the forms eaten today. Over time, the focus moved from preservation to flavor, texture, and presentation, giving us the fresh styles now common in restaurants and homes.

Today, the word covers several common styles. Nigiri is a small mound of rice topped with fish or another ingredient. Maki is rolled with rice and fillings, often wrapped in seaweed (nori). Chirashi is a bowl of seasoned rice topped with different ingredients. Some people confuse it with sashimi, but sashimi is simply sliced raw fish or seafood served without rice, so it is not sushi.

You usually see this word when talking about food, meals, restaurants, or cooking. For example, someone might say, "Let's get sushi tonight," "This place serves great salmon nigiri," or "I learned how to make rolls at home." In everyday English, the word usually refers either to the full dish in general or to a meal made from one or more of these styles.