Sushi migrated to America some time in the late 196o’s and has slowly become one of our favorite foods. We love it as takeout, we love it for a romantic dinner, we even like the cheap stuff from the supermarket. Here is a visual guide to sushi…
If you’re tired of having to fire off a dozen google searches every time you try and order sushi to understand what it is that you’re ordering, save this visual guide to save yourself some time.
Let’s start with the major items you are going to want to know before setting foot inside your local sushi joint. Maguro(tuna) and Sake(salmon). Generally speaking, the first big decision you need to make when ordering sushi is if you want salmon, tuna, or something else. ~90% of rolls at most sushi restaurants are made of either tuna or salmon, so it’s best to understand these terms first.
The word “maki”, either as a standalone menu heading, or when appended to the end of a word indicates that it’s a roll. Tekkamaki for example, is a tuna roll, which means there is fish and possible some vegetables rolled together inside of rice and a seaweed wrapper.
Masago and Ikura as often used as toppings for different kinds of sushi. These are fish eggs, with Masago being smelt roe, and Ikura being salmon roe. Salmon roe is much more expensive and more of a delicacy while smelt roe is used more liberally.
Some other items you’ll find at most sushi restaurants are Tamago (egg or omelette) and Uni (sea urchin). Most of the time sushi which includes egg will be sweet and served towards the end of a meal as a dessert course. Sea urchin is a spikey creature that lives on the ocean floor but has some of the most delicious tasting eggs you will ever try.
No matter what you order your next time out for sushi hopefully this visual guide will help steer you in the right direction!
