How to eat sushi, according to a top Japanese chef
Never, ever put ginger on your sushi
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Combining rice, seaweed, and fresh fish, sushi is a beautifully simple dish. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t strict rules for eating the Japanese delicacy.
The biggest mistake that people outside of Japan make is placing pickled ginger atop the sushi, then drenching the morsel in soy sauce. Putting ginger on the fish also goes entirely against Japanese etiquette, according to Tokyo sushi chef Naomichi Yasuda.
In a Munchies video, Yasuda reveals that another common error is dipping the fish into soy sauce, and waggling it off. “Shaking is just for finishing in the men’s room,” he says with a laugh.
Traditionally, maki rolls - which are encased in seaweed - are gently tapped in soy sauce by hand and popped into the mouth whole. A single piece of ginger is then eaten to cleanse the palette.
Nigiri sushi - where a block of rice is the base for a topping - is gripped with chopsticks and turned on its side so the fish can be dipped into soy sauce.
Destroying the delicate flavour of the fish by covering the sushi in wasabi is another big ‘no no’, Sterling Ridings, chef at sushi bar Uchiko recently told Thrillist.
Filling a dish with too much soy sauce and rubbing chopsticks together, meanwhile, are also seen as a snub to the chef.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments