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What is a nigiri sushi?

Nigiri or nigirizushi is sushi rice which is shaped by hand into an oval ball with a topping of raw fresh fish such as salmon or tuna, surimi, shrimp, squid, or other seafood such as scallops. It is one of the oldest forms of sushi which has been elevated to a true art in Japan by several famous sushi chefs. According to sushi lovers, it is the “purest form” of sushi.

What does nigiri mean?

Nigiri literally translated means “two fingers.” It comes from the verb nigiru, which means to grasp, hold, squeeze, shape or knead with the hand. It describes how a sushi chef makes nigirizushi. A sushi chef rolls the rice into a ball using his hands, especially his fingers. A small amount of wasabi is also added, and raw fish is often used as a garnish to cover the sushi rice.

How is nigiri sushi served?

Nigiri sushi is served slightly chilled and the mild flavor of the fish combined with the sticky and spicy taste of the rice makes for an absolutely exquisite feeling in your mouth. Soy sauce and wasabi are often served with it.

It is therefore the favorite of many sushi lovers and is also a standard item on the menu at many sushi restaurants just like the famous maki sushi. Try it out, I would say.

How do you eat a nigiri sushi the way it should be eaten?

You do not eat nigiri sushi with chopsticks, but with your hand. So chopsticks are not recommended for eating nigiri sushi. It is really meant to be eaten by hand. Therefore, the shape of this sushi was also created that way by the sushi chef.

In Japan, they eat this delicious form of sushi by hand. In most restaurants, you can see the Japanese picking up the nigiri sushi carefully with their fingers and then gently dipping it in the soy sauce.

In doing so, they do not dip the nigiri completely in the soy sauce. but the Japanese only dip the piece of fish in the soy sauce. This ensures that the taste of the sushi rice does not change and that its structure remains intact. This ensures that the nigiri remains a real taste explosion.

Never immerse it or drown it in the sauce. High quality nigiri sushi does not need much soy sauce.