If you feel a little intimidated by the idea of going to a sushi restaurant, we understand. You’re not alone.

What do the terms mean? Do all of the dishes contain raw fish? How do I eat it?

Let’s back up a bit—around1,500 years ago in Japan. The first sushi was prepared in Southeast Asia as a means of food preservation using fermented rice. In the early 1800s, people began eating the fish in sushi raw. This is the Edo style of sushi that we are familiar with today.

Let’s discuss some of the types of sushi you’ll see on our menu.

Maki is sushi that is rolled using a bamboo mat. It contains one or two kinds of fish and vegetables wrapped in nori (seaweed), soy paper, or cucumber. The sushi chef slices the larger maki rolls into smaller, bite-size slices for service. You can put a little wasabi on top of a maki roll or dip it in soy sauce–and you can use either chopsticks or your fingers, either is fine with us!

Nigiri is raw fish atop an oval-shaped ball of rice. You don’t typically need to dip nigiri into a sauce because the chef places a bit of wasabi between the rice and fish. If you do dip the nigiri in soy sauce, be sure to dip the fish side.

Sashimi is sliced raw fish without rice. You can use chopsticks to dip the sashimi into soy sauce with a little wasabi.

In Japanese sushi, rice is seasoned with rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Rice in Korean sushi is seasoned with sesame oil and salt. Typically, the types of fish used in sushi are tuna,red snapper, yellowtail, and salmon. And on the side of your plate, you’ll find slices of pickled ginger, which are used to cleanse the palate between bites.

Now that you have a little background on sushi, come down to Sweet Chili, and let our sushi chefs help you make your selections.