Sushi machine facts for kids

A sushi machine or sushi robot is a cool device that helps make different kinds of sushi automatically. Many of these machines use electricity to work. Some sushi machines create perfect little mounds of sushi rice. Imagine a special container, called a hopper, filled with cooked sushi rice. The machine takes this rice, shapes it into small mounds, and then pushes them out. After the rice mounds are ready, people can then add sashimi (thin slices of raw fish) or other tasty ingredients on top.

Other sushi machines are designed to make sushi rolls. These machines can flatten rice into a sheet, add ingredients like nori (a type of edible seaweed) and vegetables, roll everything up tightly, and then slice the roll into separate pieces. Some roll machines even let you change how long or thick your sushi rolls will be!

Sushi restaurants and food places often use these machines to save time and effort. Sushi made with electric machines might even cost less in stores compared to sushi made entirely by hand. There are also some sushi machines that you operate by hand, without needing any electricity.

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  Ingredients ready for a manually operated sushi roll machine.

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  Nori (seaweed) being wrapped around a sushi roll.

Who Makes Sushi Machines?

Many companies around the world make sushi machines. Let's look at some of the main ones.

Suzumo: A Pioneer in Sushi Robots

Suzumo is a big name in the world of sushi machines. This Japanese company is actually the largest maker of sushi machines in Japan! They even say they invented the sushi machine way back in 1981.

One of their electric machines, called the Sushibot, is super fast. It can make up to 3,600 sushi rice mounds every hour! Another Suzumo machine can create 400 rice mounds per hour. In 2013, Suzumo held more than 60% of the market for sushi machines, meaning most sushi machines used were made by them.

Other Top Sushi Machine Makers

There are other important companies that make sushi machines too:

• Autec: This company is a big player, second only to Suzumo in making "shari-tama" (rice ball) machines. Autec makes many different models for businesses. In 2014, they even launched a new machine that automatically makes shari, which is the special rice used for sushi.
• Robotic Sushi: This company makes several types of sushi machines, including large ones for factories and smaller ones that fit on a tabletop.
• Taiko Enterprises: One of their machines is designed to make sushi that looks and feels like it was made by a human sushi chef.
• Sushi Machines: This company is located in Yorkshire, England. They specialize in making sushi machines that you operate by hand, without electricity.