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Sushi & Sashimi

Of all the foods associated with Japan, sushi must be the most famous -- and indeed the most notorious.For many, the idea of eating uncooked fish is an impassable barrier but anyone with even the slightest sense of culinary adventure should certainly not miss out.

When one goes out for sushi that usually means nigiri-sushi, slices of raw fish pressed in the hand onto bite-sized pads of rice.But there are kinds of nigiri-sushi that are made with cooked ingredients such as shrimp, eel and egg as well as other kinds of sushi than nigiri sushi.

Sashimi is simply raw fish served on it’s own as one part of a meal of other dishes.The word sushi actually refers to the seasoned rice that forms the base of these dishes and not the toppings, raw fish or otherwise.

Once you’ve sat down at the counter and placed your order, your chef will get down to work, expertly slicing slabs of fish right in front of your eyes and slapping your selections down within seconds.If you want a cheap and cheerful introduction to the world of sushi you might want to try a kaiten sushi restaurant.

An assortment of nigiri sushi and other distinctly non-fish selections (hamburger sushi anyone?) will issue from the kitchen on an automated conveyor belt to be nabbed on the way round by hungry diners.The quality runs from the adequate to the downright poor but as a taste of modern Japan it’s unmissable.