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[[File:2007feb-sushi-odaiba-manytypes.jpg|right|thumb|200px|''Nigirizushi'' and ''temaki'', different types of Japanese sushi, served and ready to be eaten.]]
[[File:Vegetable gimbap.jpg|thumb|200px|[[South Korea|Korean]] Sushi ([[Gimbap]]).]]

{{nihongo|'''Sushi'''|寿司, すし, 鮨, or 鮓}} is a traditional [[food]] that is from [[Japan]].

The word "Sushi" comes from the Japanese word {{nihongo|"''Su''"|酢}} meaning vinegar, and "{{nihongo|''Meshi''"|飯}}, meaning rice.

Sushi is made with specially prepared [[rice]], called {{nihongo|''sumeshi''|酢飯}}. The rice is mixed with [[vinegar]], salt, and [[sugar]]. Sushi is known for having raw or cooked [[seafood]] in it, but it sometimes has non-fish foods such as [[vegetable]]s. Some sushi is wrapped in a sheet of [[seaweed]] called {{nihongo|''nori''|海苔}}.

[[Soy sauce]] and [[wasabi]] are commonly eaten with sushi, which is traditionally eaten by hand, but eating it using [[chopsticks]] is still accepted. ''[[Gari]]'' (sweet, pickled [[ginger]]) can often be found alongside a plate of sushi and also a little bit of wasabi, used as a palate cleanser, but it must be eaten with chopsticks.

There are many different kinds of sushi. The most common sushi in Japan is {{nihongo|''nigirizushi''|握り寿司}}: [[fish]] [[meat]] that is placed on top of a small portion of ''sumeshi''. Sometimes you may find other [[ingredients]] on top of the ''sumeshi'', such as roe (fish eggs), and [[sea urchin]] meat, instead of fish. Another type of sushi, {{nihongo|''makizushi''|巻き寿司}}, consists of ''sumeshi'' rolled around fish and/or vegetables. In the [[United States|US]], ''makizushi'' is more popular than ''nigirizushi''. Another type is known as {{nihongo|''temaki''|手巻き}} or a hand roll. This kind of sushi comes in a [[cone-shape]], created by the ''nori'' wrapped around the ingredients inside. They are usually filled with a mixture of ''sumeshi'', fish, and vegetables.

In Japan, sushi is sometimes sold in "conveyor-belt shops" called ''kaiten zushi'' (回転寿司), where plates of sushi are put on a moving belt that passes by the customers. People freely take the sushi they want as it passes. The color of the plate shows the price of the sushi. This way of serving sushi is becoming more popular in other countries as well.

==History==
Sushi began when [[rice]] farming came to [[Japan]] over 2,000 years ago. The original type of sushi was developed in the [[Nara Prefecture]] as a way of [[food preservation|preserving]] [[fish (food)|fish]] in [[fermentation|fermented]] rice. This method of preserving rice was invented by Ewan Wakao. During the [[Muromachi period]], people would eat the rice ''and'' the fish. During the [[Edo period]], [[vinegar]], not fermented rice, was used. In more recent times, it has become a [[fast food]] associated with [[Japanese culture]].

The origin of sushi goes back to Southeast [[Asia]] around the 4th century B.C.. At that time, it was called ''narezushi''. The fish was originally eaten alone, without rice. Later on, a style of namaranarezushi reached Japan. Namaranerezushi combined the fish with rice.

What is called sushi in modern times was created by Hanaya Yohei (1799–1858) at the End of the Edo period. Sushi invented by Hanaya was an early form of fast food that was not fermented. It was prepared quickly. It could be eaten with one's hands. This fish was originally known as Edomae zushi because it used freshly caught fish in Edo-Bay or Tokyo Bay. The fish used in modern sushi no longer usually comes from Tokyo Bay.

By the early 1900s, sushi was being served in the [[United States]], after many Japanese people had [[immigration|immigrated]] there.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Great Sushi Craze of 1905|date=31 July 2015 |publisher=Eccentric Culinary History|url=http://eccentricculinary.com/the-great-sushi-craze-of-1905-part-1|accessdate=July 8, 2017}}</ref> The first United States sushi shop opened up in 1906 in Little Tokyo in [[Los Angeles]].

In the [[United Kingdom]], a report of sushi being eaten in [[Britain]] happened when then Crown Prince [[Akihito]] (born 1933) visited [[Queen Elizabeth II]] in 1953.

[[Australia]] is a major source of rice used with sushi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-22/sushi-rice-demand-2104/5402050|title=Sushi boom increases rice markets for Riverina growers|author=Laurissa Smith|publisher=ABC|date=22 April 2014}}</ref>

==Manners==
Sushi is traditionally eaten by hand, but it is not wrong to eat it with chopsticks. However, when eating ''Gari'', you must use chopsticks.

When you want to put some soy sauce on your sushi, try not to put it on the rice, because the grains will start to fall, and make a mess.

Try to fit the entire sushi into your mouth when eating. Taking a bite and putting it back on the plate is impolite.

==Health risks==

As with most foods, eating sushi has some health risks. However, most can be minimized with proper preparation. Some large fish, such as [[tuna]] (especially [[Northern bluefin tuna|bluefin]]), can contain high levels of [[mercury (element)|mercury]]. Tuna can cause mercury poisoning when consumed in very large quantities over time. [[Parasite]] infection by raw fish is not common in the modern world (less than 40 cases per year in the US). Infections can generally be avoided by boiling, burning, preserving in salt or vinegar, or freezing to a certain temperature. Although ''nigirizushi'' will almost always appear in a raw form, often much of the fish has been previously frozen to specific temperatures to prevent parasites.

==The types and ingredients of the sushi==
[[File:Vegan sushi (4157554476).jpg|thumb|[[Vegan]] sushi]]
There are many different types of sushi. There are also many ingredients to put in the sushi.

===Types of sushi===
* {{nihongo|'''''Nigirizushi'''''|'''握り寿司'''}} is a type of sushi, with the ingredient placed on top of ''sumeshi''. It is sometimes wrapped in a thin rectangular piece of ''nori''.
* {{nihongo|'''''Makizushi'''''|'''巻き寿司'''}} is ''nori'' wrapped around ''sumeshi'' and the ingredient.
** {{nihongo|'''''Futomaki'''''|'''太巻き'''}} is ''makizushi'' but it is bigger; It has more ''sumeshi'' and ingredients, and it has a bigger piece of ''nori'' wrapped around it.
** {{nihongo|'''''Gunkanmaki'''''|'''軍艦巻き'''}}, meaning "Warship Roll", is a type of ''makizushi'', but it has ''sumeshi'' wrapped in a big piece of ''nori'' (usually bigger than the ''Sumeshi''), with the ingredient placed on top of it. It usually has ingredients that are easy to collapse, such as ''ikura'' or sea urchin. It was named this because the sushi looks like a warship.
* {{nihongo|'''''Oshizushi'''''|'''押し寿司'''}} is sushi with the ''sumeshi'' and ingredients strongly pressed together, in a box.
* {{nihongo|'''''Temarizushi'''''|'''手毬寿司'''}} are balls of ''sumeshi'' with the ingredient topped on top of it. It is sometimes wrapped in a plastic wrap. It was called this because it resembles old Japanese ball toys, called ''[[temari]]''.
* {{nihongo|'''''Chirashizushi'''''|'''ちらし寿司'''}} is a box or bowl of ''sumeshi'' with different ingredients on top of it.
* {{nihongo|'''''Inarizushi'''''|'''稲荷寿司'''}} is ''sumeshi'' stuffed inside of sweetly boiled ''[[abura-age]]''. It usually does not have ingredients other than ''abura-age'' and ''sumeshi''.
* {{nihongo|'''''Narizushi'''''|'''なりずし'''}} is a type of fermented sushi, with fish stuffed with salt is placed in a barrel, and doused (pour over) with salt, and then weighed down with a heavy stone. Then it is left for 6 months, and finally it can be eaten.

====Sushi in other countries====
Sushi is not only eaten in [[Japan]]. It is very popular in other countries around the Earth, such as the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[South Korea]].

[[File:Sushi board.svg|thumb|right|A sushi platter with a pair of [[chopsticks]].]]
[[File:Western Sushi.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Uramakizushi rolls.]]

* '''''Gimbap''''' ('''{{Korean|hangul=김밥|labels=no}}''') is a South Korean sushi similar to ''makizushi'', and it is a popular take-out food. It is wrapped in Gim, which is ''nori'' flavored with [[sesame oil]] and salt.
* {{nihongo|'''''Uramaki'''''|'''裏巻'''}} is a type of sushi similar to ''makizushi''. ''Uramaki'' has ingredients wrapped in ''nori'', then ''sumeshi'' wrapped around the ''nori''. Small ingredients like sesame and roe (fish eggs) are usually sprinkled on the rice. "Ura" in Japanese can mean "Inside-out".

===Ingredients of sushi===
Although sushi generally contains the ingredients below, virtually anything can be used in sushi, even chocolate or chicken.

====Meat====
There are many types of fish and other meat used in sushi, such as:
* [[Tuna]]
* [[Salmon]]
* [[Whale]]
* [[Sea urchin]]
* [[Flying fish]]
* [[Shrimp]]
Other meat, such as roe (fish eggs), is also used in sushi.

====Vegetables====
Like the meat, there are many types of vegetables used in sushi, such as:
* [[Cucumber]]
* [[Carrot]]
* [[Ginger]]
* [[Allium fistulosum|Naganegi]]
* [[Wasabi]]
** Many sushi stores give the option to put wasabi in the sushi. Sushi with wasabi in it is called {{nihongo|''sabi-iri''|'''サビ入り'''}}, and without wasabi is called {{nihongo|''sabi-nashi''|'''サビなし'''}}.

==Popular sushi chain stores in Japan==
* {{nihongo|'''''Kappa Zushi'''''|'''かっぱ寿司'''}}
* {{nihongo|'''''Sushirō'''''|'''スシロー'''}}
* {{nihongo|'''''Kurazushi'''''|'''くら寿司'''}}
* {{nihongo|'''''Hamazushi'''''|'''はま寿司'''}}
* {{nihongo|'''''Choushimaru'''''|'''銚子丸'''}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Japanese food]]
[[Category:Seafood dishes]]
[[Category:Foods]]