We all love it, but are we eating it the right way?
A global phenomenon much loved in Italy too, sushi should be eaten at least once following Japanese dictates, which are very different from those we adopt in the very popular "All you can eat".
Ready to be amazed by the sound of “Oooh, aaaah, but I didn't know that”?
Let's start with rice
It probably never occurred to you to order a bowl of white rice to accompany sushi, yet it is a true Japanese classic.
To look like a real pro, hold it with the opposite hand to the one you usually use (the left if you're right-handed), where you'll place the chopsticks instead.
Bring the bowl closer to your mouth without touching it with your lips, just like you've seen done in Japanese cartoons (do you remember Goku?), but unlike him, try to eat the rice without throwing it everywhere on the table.
SUSHI TIP:
Rice is eaten plain, without any additions (no no no, leave that soy sauce down!) and it is strictly forbidden to leave chopsticks in it like a stake: in Japan it is only done during funeral rites.
Wasabi, ginger and soy sauce
Raise your hand if you've never mixed wasabi with soy sauce with the help of chopsticks! What if I told you it's not done? The ideal, in fact, is to put some between the fish and the rice , in the nigiri or in the maki.
Soy sauce should also be used very little because its flavor is very covering and the chef might think that you are overusing it because you don't appreciate the taste of his sushi.
Another secret: soy is always put on the fish part and never on the rice part. ?
And now the ginger: no, no, no, no! It is not put on sushi and sashimi as a spicy cover, but is traditionally used to rinse the mouth at the beginning or end of the meal, or between one course and another
MAYBE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT...
Real wasabi sauce is very expensive and in most budget sushi restaurants it is replaced with a horseradish puree.
Chopsticks yes, chopsticks no
It literally took you years to get used to holding them the right way and now when you're at a Japanese restaurant you'll grab anything with chopsticks. Yet, we will surprise you, they are not used all the time! ?
Your beloved nighiri , for example, is eaten with your hands and strictly in one bite. It is seasoned with a little soy (always put on the side of the fish and not the rice) and beware of dipping it!
The chopsticks , then, always rest on the support when you take a break or, if they haven't brought you one, you can place them parallel to the left of the plate, without crossing them or, again, you can place them on the soy bowl.
SPEAK LIKE YOU EAT:
The term "sushi" is generic and indicates the whole range of Japanese preparations based on raw fish and rice.
Would you like some sake?
Sushi and sake are a wonderful pairing, as long as you remember to never accompany this rice-based liquor with dishes that already contain rice . For the Japanese, in fact, it is a redundant combination.
It is also important, when the sake arrives at the table, to serve it first to the other guests who want it.
Likewise, out of politeness, sushi is never eaten directly from the serving dish (or from your well-known "boat"). The correct way to serve yourself is to bring the pieces you want to your plate and then eat them from there.
