Sushi

Sushi is a famous food from Japan. It is made with sticky rice mixed with vinegar. The rice is topped or rolled with fish, veggies, or egg. Some sushi has seaweed on the outside. People eat sushi all over the world today.

How Sushi Is Made

Cooks mix warm rice with a little vinegar, sugar, and salt. This gives the rice its special taste. Then they add fresh fish, cooked shrimp, or veggies like cucumber. Some rolls are wrapped in a sheet of seaweed called nori. A skilled sushi cook is called an itamae.

World leaders enjoying sushi made by a famous chef in Japan.
World leaders enjoying sushi made by a famous chef in Japan. (The White House from Washington, DC / Wikimedia Commons)

Kinds of Sushi

There are many kinds of sushi. Nigiri is a small ball of rice with fish on top. Maki is a roll cut into small pieces. Temaki looks like an ice cream cone made of seaweed. People often dip sushi in soy sauce and eat it with chopsticks.

Fun Facts

  • Sushi started long ago as a way to keep fish from going bad.
  • The word sushi means sour rice, not raw fish.
  • Some sushi chefs train for many years before they can make it on their own.

Did You Know?

November 1st is International Sushi Day in some places, and fans celebrate by eating their favorite rolls!