How to Eat Sushi Properly

When you're served a plate of nigiri sushi or sashimi, your dish will usually include wasabi (the green ball of paste), ginger (thin, pink slices placed right next to the wasabi) and a small plate set off to the side.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soy Sauces
• Sushi
• Chopsticks

1. Pour soy sauce on the small individual plate.

2. 

   Hold one piece of sushi (including the ball of rice on the bottom) and dip the fish side into the sauce. Avoid dipping the rice into the sauce.

3. Place the whole piece of sushi in your mouth.

4. 

   Refresh your mouth with a slice of ginger.

5. 

   Eat sashimi sushi (individual slices of raw fish) by dipping the fish slices into soy sauce. If desired, order a side dish of rice and take a few bites after each slice of fish.

Tips & Warnings

• Wasabi (the green paste) tastes somewhat like horseradish. Some people mix a little wasabi into the soy sauce; however, even though the wasabi is there on your plate, it's really considered bad manners to do this, because the sushi chef has already placed some wasabi on the rice roll. If you add more wasabi, you are essentially telling the chef that he or she did not do a good job.
• Another way to eat nigiri sushi is to lift the slice of fish from the rice ball, dip the fish into the sauce, replace it back on top of the rice ball and pop the whole thing into your mouth.

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[medphysinfo]

on 3/17/2009 Thanks for the tips. It will make my next sushi meal all the better!

[celticjames]

on 6/11/2008 same in Korea too. Koreans are known to dip kimbap into soups and soy sauce. They dont tend to go much for wasabi tho !

[moongdss]

on 3/3/2008 Eat yuor sushi however you enjoy it! If you like to mix the wasabui, go for it! If you like to put the ginger on top, do it! I think the sushi chef would MUCH rather you enjoy your sushi then eat it the 'proper' way and not like it as much.

[Shelly78]

on 3/18/2007 I live in Japan and I can tell you that all kinds of people here mix the wasabi and soy sauce together. (If wasabi isn't already on the sushi!) It is true, wasabi is there to kill any bacteria on the fish, so you should order your sushi with wasabi. Try the octopus, it is the best!!!

on 8/8/2006 Fingers are OK, since sushi was invented as a finger food. Also, when ordering sushi, you usually should start with the leaner, whiter cuts of fish, moving to darker more fatty cuts.