A Beginner's Guide to Sushi

Even though sushi has been a staple of Japanese cuisine for centuries, it only really became familiar to Americans in the 1980s, when it became a trend of yuppies. Now, it is quite common in the States as well, although there are many people who have yet to try this traditional Japanese delicacy. Yes, it does indeed involve raw stuff, weird condiments, and seaweed, but you can actually learn to love it. Follow my steps below, and you sushi neophytes will find yourselves happily munching away in no time!

First, the basics: Sushi is different from sashimi. Sashimi is raw, sliced fish, normally served with rice as a side dish. With sushi, the rice is integrated, which certainly makes the raw fish easier to go down for the American palate, but also please note: Not all sushi is raw, and it is also not always even fish. Cucumber, scallion, avocado and even egg are all used quite commonly in sushi.

Sushi is typically served in four basic forms: 1) Nigiri, a thin slice of fish atop a palm-length oval of seasoned rice, sometimes held in place with a little "seat belt" made of nori, a dark-green seaweed with a very mild taste. Two slices of nigiri make a serving at a typical sushi bar. 2) Maki, or rolled sushi, consisting of fish or other ingredients rolled up inside a thin sheet of nori and seasoned rice. Maki can be rolled with the nori on the outside, or "inside-out", with the rice showing. Inside-out rolls are usually coated with sesame seeds or tiny roe, usually either red Tobiko (flying fish eggs) or orange Masago (smelt eggs). Maki rolls are several inches long, but are cut into six bite-sized pieces per serving. 3) Temaki is a hand-rolled sushi (as opposed to maki, which is made with a bamboo mat). Temaki sushi has a distinctive "ice cream cone" shape, with the nori filled with rice and other ingredients and rolled with one closed end and one open. 4) Chirashi sushi simply consists of a bowl of assorted slices of sushi served atop a bed of rice. This is a common way for restaurants to use up whatever they have too much of so that everything stays fresh, so you will really get some odds and ends if you order this, but it's a good way to get a variety of tastes at a cheaper price.

Sushi is traditionally served with three condiments: Soy sauce, with which I believe we are already familiar; the peach- or gold-colored slices of gari, or ginger (many people eat this directly, but the taste is extremely strong. I would recommend you stick a couple of pieces into your soy sauce and let its flavor infuse that way); and wasabi, that bright green dollop perched atop a plastic leaf on the edge of your plate. Wasabi is a type of horseradish, and it is fairly strong. As they say: A little dab'll do ya. You may also want to just stick a tad of this in your soy sauce to make a "dip". The Sushi Nazi will not approve of the dip (technically, you are supposed to keep the ginger out of it, too), but I have dined in Japan and also at the venerable Hatsuhana in New York, and I have yet to get bounced from a sushi restaurant for doing this. WARNING: Just because wasabi is served on the side, do not assume it is not already in your sushi (look for a little smear between the fish and rice).

How to eat sushi: with hashi (chopsticks), of course, but also it is okay to use your fingers, especially for temaki. There's no excuse for using a fork, which will just cause everything to fall apart anyway. Fortunately the Japanese use chopsticks that are fairly short and also not slick, so there's a good grip. Practice with your chopsticks a little before the food comes, and remember: only the top is supposed to move. Technically, you are not supposed to dip your sushi into the soy sauce rice-first, but flipping your sushi to get only the fish into the soy sauce is a good way to send it flopping onto the table, so do what is comfortable. Frankly, I like soy sauce, and rice soaks up more of it, so I'm an incorrigible rice-dipper.

To get used to the various kinds of sushi, I suggest you follow the steps below, which will let you build up from the things you will find more familiar to the things that might initially freak you out:

1. Start with sushi that is not raw: Ebi (cooked shrimp), California roll (crab stick and avocado), Tamago (an egg cake--slightly sweet, like egg custard), and Anago (grilled eel w/ bbq sauce). This will get you used to the rice-and-seaweed concepts.

2. Move on to sushi that is raw but doesn't taste like it: Sake (smoked salmon); or is served in small amounts: Teppa maki (tuna roll), Una-Q (eel and cucumber roll); or is cooked, but weird (octopus).

3. Step up to sushi that is raw but of a firm texture. Maguro (tuna), Hamachi (yellowtail), and Shiromi (whitefish) have delicate flavors; if you are up to tackling texture and taste, try also Saba (mackerel).

4. Graduate to stuff that tastes good but has sticky, slimy or squishy textures: Ika (squid), Mirugai (clam), Amaebi (sweet shrimp), Uni (sea urchin), Ikura (salmon roe), or Uzura (quail eggs). You may choose not to bother with this step. I tried this stuff and decided the taste didn't beat the texture.

5. Go for the weird stuff! Some restaurants serve Sawagani, tiny soft-shelled river crabs that you just munch up whole, legs and all.

So, there it is, your guide to sushi and how to sneak up on it. If you still think raw fish isn't your bag, remember, there's always Spam sushi. Cheers!