Sushi facts for kids
Mixed sushi platter
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Sushi (pronounced soo-shee) is a famous traditional Japanese dish. It's made with special rice that has been seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt. This rice is then combined with many different ingredients. These can include seafood (often raw, but sometimes cooked), vegetables, or even meat. The most important part of sushi is the vinegared rice, which is also called sushi-meshi or shari.
Many people think sushi means "raw fish," but it actually refers to the vinegared rice! Raw fish served by itself, without rice, is called sashimi.
The kind of sushi we see most often today, called nigiri-zushi, was created around 1824 in Japan by a chef named Hanaya Yohei. It became a popular "fast food" during that time.
Sushi usually uses medium-grain white rice, but it can also be made with brown rice. Common seafood toppings include squid, eel, yellowtail, salmon, tuna, or even imitation crab meat. There are also many vegetarian sushi options. Sushi is often served with pickled ginger (gari), wasabi (a spicy green paste), and soy sauce.
Contents
- What Does the Word "Sushi" Mean?
- The Story of Sushi
- Different Kinds of Sushi
- Sushi Around the World
- Similar Dishes in Asia
- What Sushi is Made Of
- Sushi Condiments
- How Healthy is Sushi?
- Keeping Sushi Safe to Eat
- Sustainable Sushi
- How Sushi is Served
- Sushi Words to Know
- How to Eat Sushi
- Tools for Making Sushi
- Images for kids
- See Also
What Does the Word "Sushi" Mean?
The word sushi (寿司, すし) comes from a Japanese word that means "sour-tasting." This is because the earliest forms of sushi involved fermented fish, which had a sour taste.
The Story of Sushi
Early Sushi: Narezushi
Long ago, people in Southeast Asia and later Japan found a way to preserve fish. They would store fish in fermented rice for months. This old style was called narezushi (pronounced nah-reh-zoo-shee). The rice would ferment and keep the fish from spoiling, but people usually threw the rice away before eating the fish. This method was very important for having food during times when fresh fish was scarce.
Sushi Evolves: Namanare
Over time, Japanese cooking changed. During the Muromachi period (1336–1573), a new style appeared called namanare (pronounced nah-mah-nah-reh). This sushi was fermented for a shorter time, and for the first time, people started eating the rice along with the fish! This was a big step towards modern sushi.
Fast Sushi: Hayazushi
In the Edo period (1603–1867), sushi changed again. People started mixing vinegar directly into the rice to give it a sour taste, instead of waiting for it to ferment. This made sushi much faster to prepare, turning it into a quick meal. Many types of sushi we know today, like chirashizushi (scattered sushi), inarizushi (tofu pouch sushi), makizushi (rolled sushi), and nigirizushi (hand-pressed sushi), were created during this time.
The nigirizushi style, with a piece of fish on top of a small mound of rice, became very popular in Edo (which is now Tokyo) in the 1820s or 1830s. A chef named Hanaya Yohei is often credited with perfecting this style. Back then, the sushi pieces were about three times larger than they are today!
Sushi on a Conveyor Belt
In 1958, Yoshiaki Shiraishi opened the first kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurant in Japan. This made sushi even more casual and affordable. In these restaurants, plates of sushi travel on a conveyor belt past the diners, who can pick whatever they like. The bill is usually calculated by counting the different colored plates.
Conveyor belt sushi became very popular after being featured at the Japan World Exposition in Osaka in 1970. By 2021, this type of sushi restaurant had grown into a huge market and spread all over the world.
Sushi in English-Speaking Countries
The word "sushi" first appeared in an English dictionary in 1873. It was described as "a roll of cold rice with fish, sea-weed, or some other flavoring." It's important to remember that sushi doesn't just mean "raw seafood"; it's all about the special vinegared rice!
Different Kinds of Sushi
The main thing all sushi has in common is the special vinegared sushi rice. But the fillings, toppings, and how they are made can be very different!
When you see words like nigirizushi, the "sushi" part sometimes changes to "zushi" because of a Japanese language rule.
Chirashizushi (Scattered Sushi)
Chirashizushi (pronounced chee-rah-shee-zoo-shee) means "scattered sushi." It's a bowl of sushi rice topped with a colorful mix of raw fish and vegetables. It's popular because it's easy to make and very filling. People often eat it on special holidays like Hinamatsuri (Girls' Day) in March and Children's Day in May.
Inarizushi (Tofu Pouch Sushi)
Inarizushi (pronounced ee-nah-ree-zoo-shee) is a tasty pouch made from fried tofu, usually filled with just sushi rice. It's named after Inari Ōkami, a Japanese god. Foxes, who are messengers of Inari, are believed to love fried tofu. Sometimes, inarizushi even has pointed corners that look like fox ears! The shape can be rectangular or triangular depending on the region in Japan.
Makizushi (Rolled Sushi)
Makizushi (pronounced mah-kee-zoo-shee) means "rolled sushi." It's made by rolling rice and fillings inside a sheet of nori (seaweed) using a bamboo mat called a makisu. These rolls are then cut into bite-sized pieces. Sometimes, other wrappers like a thin omelette or cucumber are used instead of nori.
Here are some common types of makizushi:
- Futomaki (pronounced foo-toh-mah-kee): These are "thick rolls," usually about 5-6 cm (2-2.5 inches) wide. They often have two or three different fillings chosen for their taste and color. Many futomaki are vegetarian, with ingredients like cucumber, gourd, or bamboo shoots.
- Ehōmaki (pronounced eh-hoh-mah-kee): This is a special kind of futomaki eaten whole, without cutting, on the evening of the Setsubun festival (around February 3rd). People eat it while facing a lucky direction for the year. It usually has seven lucky ingredients like egg, eel, and shiitake mushrooms.
- Hosomaki (pronounced hoh-soh-mah-kee): These are "thin rolls," about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide, and usually have only one filling.
- Kappamaki (pronounced kahp-pah-mah-kee): A hosomaki filled with cucumber. It's named after the kappa, a legendary Japanese water creature that loves cucumbers! People often eat kappamaki to refresh their taste buds between different kinds of sushi.
- Tekkamaki (pronounced tek-kah-mah-kee): A hosomaki filled with raw tuna. It was originally a quick snack eaten in gambling dens.
- Temaki (pronounced teh-mah-kee): These are "hand rolls" shaped like a large cone, with the nori on the outside and the ingredients spilling out. They are usually eaten with your fingers right after they are made, so the nori stays crispy.
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Makizushi topped with fish roe.
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Makizushi being prepared.
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Futomaki (thick roll).
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Temaki (hand roll).
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Kappamaki (cucumber roll).
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Nattōmaki (fermented soybeans roll).
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Tekkamaki (tuna roll).
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Ehōmaki (lucky direction roll).
Modern Narezushi
Narezushi still exists today as a special traditional food. It involves fish that is salted and fermented in wooden barrels for many months. The most famous type is funa-zushi, made from a special kind of carp found in Lake Biwa in Japan.
Nigirizushi (Hand-Pressed Sushi)
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Nigirizushi (pronounced nee-gee-ree-zoo-shee) is what most people think of when they hear "sushi." It's a small, oval mound of sushi rice that a chef gently presses by hand. A topping, called neta, is then draped over the rice. Common toppings include salmon, tuna, or other seafood. Sometimes, a thin strip of nori is used to hold the topping to the rice, especially for things like octopus or eel.
- Gunkanmaki (pronounced goon-kahn-mah-kee): This is a special type of nigirizushi that looks like a "warship." A strip of nori is wrapped around the rice to create a cup, which is then filled with soft or loose ingredients like fish roe, sea urchin, or corn with mayonnaise.
- Temarizushi (pronounced teh-mah-ree-zoo-shee): This is sushi made by pressing rice and fish into a cute ball shape by hand.
Oshizushi (Pressed Sushi)
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Oshizushi (pronounced oh-shee-zoo-shee) means "pressed sushi" and is a specialty from the Kansai region of Japan, especially Osaka. It's made using a wooden mold called an oshibako. The chef places toppings at the bottom of the mold, covers them with sushi rice, and then presses down with a lid to create a compact, block-shaped sushi. This block is then cut into bite-sized pieces. All ingredients in oshizushi are usually cooked or cured, never raw. A famous type is battera, which is pressed mackerel sushi.
A modern twist, aburi oshizushi, involves lightly searing the sushi with a torch, which adds a smoky flavor.
Sushi Around the World
As sushi became popular worldwide, many new styles were created outside of Japan, especially in Western countries.
One very famous example is the California roll. It's a type of rolled sushi that usually has imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber. Its exact origin is debated, with chefs in Los Angeles and Vancouver, Canada, often credited. The idea was to make sushi more appealing to people who weren't used to traditional Japanese ingredients, often by putting the rice on the outside.
Uramaki (Inside-Out Roll)
Uramaki (pronounced oo-rah-mah-kee) means "inside-out roll." It's a medium-sized roll where the rice is on the outside, and the nori (seaweed) is on the inside, wrapped around the fillings. This style became popular with the California roll. The outer rice layer is often coated with sesame seeds or fish roe. Common fillings include tuna, crab meat, avocado, and cucumber.
In Japan, uramaki is less common because traditional sushi is often eaten by hand, and the outer layer of rice can be a bit sticky to handle.
American-Style Makizushi
In the United States, many creative rolls have been developed, often with multiple fillings. Some popular examples include:
- Alaskan roll: A California roll with smoked salmon.
- Boston roll: An uramaki with poached shrimp instead of imitation crab.
- British Columbia roll: Contains grilled salmon skin, cucumber, and sweet sauce.
- Dragon roll: Often has shrimp tempura and cucumber inside, wrapped with avocado on the outside to look like dragon scales.
- Dynamite roll: Includes yellowtail or prawn tempura, with other fillings like avocado and spicy mayonnaise.
- Philadelphia roll: Features salmon and cream cheese, often with cucumber or avocado.
- Rainbow roll: A California uramaki roll topped with several types of fish and avocado, making it look like a rainbow.
- Spicy tuna roll: Raw tuna mixed with spicy mayonnaise.
- Spider roll: Contains fried soft-shell crab and other fillings.
- Sushi burrito: A large, customizable sushi roll shaped like a burrito.
Australian Sushi
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In Australia, sushi often comes as a thick hand roll, served uncut as a snack. Popular fillings include teriyaki chicken, salmon and avocado, or tuna. Australian California rolls are different from American ones, always having the nori on the outside. Sushi became widely available in Australia starting in 1995, and today, Japanese food is very popular there.
Canadian Sushi
Canada also has many unique sushi creations. For example, "Doshi" is a donut-shaped rice ball on a deep-fried crab cake, topped with sushi ingredients. "Sushi pizza" is a deep-fried rice cake topped with mayonnaise and various sushi ingredients.
Sinaloan Sushi (Mexico and Western United States)
Sinaloan sushi comes from Sinaloa, Mexico, and has been popular in the Western United States since 2013. It often features cooked ingredients and unique flavors.
Similar Dishes in Asia
South Korea
In South Korea, there's a dish called Gimbap (pronounced gim-bahp). It looks a lot like makizushi but uses gim (Korean seaweed) and rice seasoned with sesame oil instead of vinegar. It's filled with various vegetables and meats like bulgogi.
What Sushi is Made Of
All sushi starts with specially prepared rice and then adds other ingredients. Traditional Japanese sushi uses rice flavored with vinegar sauce and various raw or cooked items.
Sushi-meshi (Sushi Rice)
Sushi-meshi (pronounced soo-shee-meh-shee) is the special white, short-grain Japanese rice used for sushi. It's mixed with a dressing of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. It needs to be cooled to room temperature before being used so it doesn't get too sticky. Chefs traditionally mix it in a round wooden tub called a hangiri with a wooden paddle.
Nori (Seaweed)
The dark green seaweed wrappers used for rolled sushi are called nori (pronounced noh-ree). Nori is a type of red algae that has been farmed in Japan for a long time. It's harvested, processed, toasted, and sold in thin sheets. Nori is also a tasty snack on its own!
Gu (Fillings and Toppings)
The ingredients inside or on top of sushi are called gu (pronounced goo). Fish is a very common gu. For raw fish, it's super important that it's very fresh and handled carefully by trained sushi chefs to ensure it's safe to eat. Popular fish include tuna (maguro), yellowtail (hamachi), and salmon (sake). The fattiest part of tuna, called toro, is especially prized.
Other popular seafoods include squid (ika), eel (anago and unagi), octopus (tako), shrimp (ebi), and various kinds of fish roe (like ikura and tobiko). Imitation crab meat (kani kama) is also very common, especially in Western-style rolls.
Many plant-based ingredients are also used, such as pickled daikon radish, fermented soybeans (nattō), avocado, cucumber, asparagus, and sweet corn (sometimes mixed with mayonnaise).
Tofu and eggs (often in the form of a slightly sweet, layered omelette called tamagoyaki) are also common sushi ingredients.
Sushi Condiments
Sushi is usually eaten with a few extra flavors:
- Soy sauce (shōyu): A salty, savory sauce for dipping.
- Wasabi: A spicy green paste made from the Wasabia japonica plant. It adds a kick! Sometimes, imitation wasabi made from horseradish is used.
- Gari: Sweet, pickled ginger slices. You eat these between different pieces of sushi to cleanse your palate and get ready for the next flavor.
- Green tea (ocha): Often served with sushi to help with digestion.
Sometimes, green plastic strips called baran are placed between sushi pieces on a tray. These used to be real leaves and helped keep flavors separate and even had natural properties to keep the sushi fresh!
How Healthy is Sushi?
Traditional Japanese sushi, with raw fish and rice, is generally low in fat and high in protein and carbohydrates. It also provides vitamins and minerals. The seaweed (nori) and pickled ginger (gari) add extra nutrients.
Keeping Sushi Safe to Eat
Eating raw fish means it needs to be handled very carefully to make sure it's safe.
- Some large fish, like certain types of tuna, can naturally contain small amounts of substances like methylmercury. Eating a variety of foods helps keep your diet balanced.
- Raw fish must be specially prepared, often by freezing it at very low temperatures. This process helps to make sure any tiny organisms that could cause problems are removed. Professional sushi chefs are highly trained in these safety methods.
- A very special fish called fugu (pufferfish) has parts that are poisonous. By law in Japan, only chefs who have passed very difficult tests and are specially licensed can prepare fugu. This ensures it's safe to eat.
Sustainable Sushi
Sustainable sushi means choosing sushi made from fish or seafood that is caught or farmed in ways that don't harm the environment or reduce fish populations for the future.
How Sushi is Served
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Sushi is traditionally served on simple, beautiful Japanese plates, often made of wood. The arrangement is usually clean and calm, showing off the beauty of the food.
Many sushi restaurants offer special sets chosen by the chef. These sets are sometimes named after pine, bamboo, and plum (shō-chiku-bai), with pine being the most expensive.
At kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurants, plates of sushi move along a belt, and you pick what you want. The bill is calculated by counting the different colored plates you've taken.
Sushi Words to Know
Here are some special words you might hear at a sushi bar:
- Agari: Green tea. (Normally called ocha.)
- Gari: Sweet, pickled ginger. (Normally called shōga.)
- Gyoku: A sweet, cube-shaped omelette. (Normally called tamagoyaki.)
- Murasaki: Soy sauce. (Normally called shōyu.)
- Neta: The toppings on nigiri or fillings in makimono.
- Otemoto: Chopsticks. (Normally called hashi.)
- Sabi: Wasabi.
- Shari: Sushi rice. (Normally called gohan or meshi.)
How to Eat Sushi
When eating nigirizushi (the hand-pressed kind), it's traditional to use your fingers, even in fancy restaurants. Sashimi (just raw fish) is usually eaten with chopsticks.
When dipping sushi in soy sauce, it's polite to turn the sushi over so that only the topping (the fish) touches the sauce. The rice already has a perfect flavor from the vinegar, sugar, and salt, and it can soak up too much soy sauce and fall apart if dipped directly.
Traditionally, the sushi chef adds the right amount of wasabi when making the sushi, so you don't need to add more. But today, many restaurants serve extra wasabi on the side for you to use if you like more spice!
Tools for Making Sushi
| Utensil | What it's for |
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| Fukin | Kitchen cloth |
| Hangiri | A round wooden barrel for mixing sushi rice |
| Hocho | Kitchen knives |
| Makisu | Bamboo mat for rolling sushi |
| Ryoribashi or saibashi | Cooking chopsticks |
| Shamoji | Wooden rice paddle |
| Makiyakinabe | Rectangular pan for making omelettes |
| Oshizushihako | A wooden mold for making pressed sushi (oshizushi) |
Images for kids
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Chu-Toro nigiri (中トロ寿司, Medium fatty tuna)
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Salmon roll (巻き鮭)
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Kakinoha (柿の葉寿司, persimmon leaf) sushi
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Chakin-zushi (茶巾寿司), wrapped in thin omelette
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Sushi plate (盛り合わせ)
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Ikura gunkan-maki (イクラ軍艦巻き) (salmon roe warship roll)
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Sasa (笹寿司, bamboo leaf) sushi
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Unagi (鰻寿司, teriyaki-roasted freshwater eel) sushi
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Nigirizushi for sale at a supermarket in Tokyo
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Assorted sushi (盛り合わせ)
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Assorted Western sushi (盛り合わせ)
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Western California roll and tuna roll uramaki (カリフォルニア巻き)
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Western spicy tuna hand roll (スパイシーツナロール)
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Western spicy shrimp roll (スパイシー海老ロール)
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Gari (pickled ginger)
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Wasabi paste
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Tamago sushi (sweet egg omelette)
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Otoro sushi (鮪大トロ寿司) (very fatty tuna)
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See Also
In Spanish: Sushi para niños
- Gimbap, a Korean dish similar to makizushi
- Customs and etiquette in Japanese dining
- List of sushi and sashimi ingredients
- List of sushi restaurants
- Spam musubi, a Hawaiian dish similar to nigirizushi
- Sushi machine
