food
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- PBS - Food - The History Kitchen - Discover the History of Sushi
- The Spruce Eats - What is Sushi?
- WebMD - Sushi: Is it good for you?
- Workforce LibreTexts - Sushi
- Cleveland Clinic - The Healthiest Sushi Options you should Order – And Why
- First We Feast - An Illustrated History of Sushi
- Encyclopedia of Japan - Sushi
- Healthline - What’s the Difference Between Sashimi and Sushi?
- History Today - A Short History of Sushi
- BBC Travel - The 'right' way to eat sushi: Tips from the experts on sushi rules to follow
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- PBS - Food - The History Kitchen - Discover the History of Sushi
- The Spruce Eats - What is Sushi?
- WebMD - Sushi: Is it good for you?
- Workforce LibreTexts - Sushi
- Cleveland Clinic - The Healthiest Sushi Options you should Order – And Why
- First We Feast - An Illustrated History of Sushi
- Encyclopedia of Japan - Sushi
- Healthline - What’s the Difference Between Sashimi and Sushi?
- History Today - A Short History of Sushi
- BBC Travel - The 'right' way to eat sushi: Tips from the experts on sushi rules to follow
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
sushi, a staple rice dish of Japanese cuisine, consisting of cooked rice flavoured with vinegar and a variety of vegetable, egg, or raw seafood garnishes and served cold. Restaurants specializing in sushi abound in Japan, where subtleties of preparation find a discriminating clientele, and the dish has gained popularity in the United States and elsewhere (see also sashimi).
Nigiri-zushi is a hand-formed oblong of rice topped with sliced raw seafood and a dab of wasabi (a green paste made of true wasabi or horseradish); the ingredients of oshi-zushi are pressed to shape in a mold. For maki-zushi, a sheet of nori (laver, a seaweed) is spread with rice, then with seafood or vegetables and garnishes. The whole is rolled into a cylinder and sliced. In chirashi-zushi, a homestyle version, the ingredients are not formed, rather the vinegared rice is strewn with toppings and garnishes. Vinegar-pickled ginger root (sūshoga) is a traditional palate-clearing accompaniment to sushi.
Britannica Quiz
What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz
