I don’t like sushi! No, I’m joking Well, actually, I’m not. I don’t really like sushi but that’s not to say sushi isn’t great cuisine. As a matter of fact, sushi is one of the most popular cuisines of Japanese origin and appeals to palates (for those that like sushi) from all over the world.

In its simplest form, sushi is basically a strip of rice with a piece of raw fish (the reason I wouldn’t say I like sushi) or other stuffing ingredients in the center, all rolled up with a strip of nori i.e. seaweed. There are however many types as the dish has evolved over the years from the first recorded version of the dish that used fermented fish and rice preserved with salt.

Nigiri

A slice of raw or cooked fish or seafood placed atop a small ball of vinegared rice. The rice ball is shaped by hand and this preparation uses wasabi, a seasoning with a pasty and spicy thickness, widely used in oriental cuisine and also known as strong root. The fish used in this sushi can vary depending on the time of year, but the most widely used are salmon, tuna, sole, snapper, eel, sea bass and octopus. In some pieces, shrimp or other seafood may be used instead of fish. Some versions may also have seafood glued to the top of the rice by the accompanying sauce, or tied together by a thin strip of nori.

Gunkan

The first feature that makes gunkan different from others is its small size compared to a regular piece of sushi. Made with rice and rolled with nori, gunkan is stuffed on top of the roll rather than in the middle like most rolls. The most common fillings are fish roe, but it is also possible to find them with tuna, omelette or salmon.

Temaki

Temaki stands out for its shape that is totally different from other types of sushi. It is cone-shaped and larger in size than other types of sushi. Its fillings can vary, but all have rice and salmon and may also have vegetables, fruits and other seafood mixed with rice and wrapped in nori.

Hot Roll

A departure from classic sushi which uses raw ingredients, hot rolls are breaded and fried, thus their tendency to polarize opinions among sushi lovers and enthusiasts alike. Hot roll was invented in the United States a few years ago and is currently one of the most popular types of sushi. The fried rolls have rice, wrapped in nori and the stuffing, most of the time, has cream cheese, in addition to vegetables or seafood.

Joe

Also called Joe, Djô, Jow or Djow, it is one of the rare pieces that don’t use nori sheets in preparation.

Its preparation is simple: a rice cake, surrounded by a thin fish fillet, covered with roe or another type of minced fish, in addition to several types of seasoning.

Hossomaki Tekkamaki

Its format is one of the most classic of all Japanese cuisine. It’s basically a small roll, formed by rice and wrapped with nori. Unlike other sushi, which can have salmon, various seafood, sole, vegetables, or fruit as a filling, tekkamaki traditionally has a small piece of tuna.

Uramaki

Uramaki is a reverse-rolled type of sushi where the rice surrounds the nori sheet and the stuffing.

Some rolls can have more than one filling, such as mango, salmon with avocado, salmon and cucumber, among countless other compositions.

Hossomaki Kappamaki

Instead of having a stuffing with raw fish or seafood, kappamaki only has rice, cucumber and nori sheet and prepared in the same way as tekkamaki, the difference being in the filling. The name Kappamaki comes from Japanese mythology. The Kappa is a being with an amphibian body and known for eating cucumbers.

If you really like sushi, please comment below. And if you don’t like sushi like me, feel free to comment too.