How to (and How Not to) Eat Sushi?

In the last few decades, sushi has become so popular and ubiquitous that it has widely been accepted as a staple in the American diet rather than an exotic Japanese cuisine. From grocery stores to some of the best restaurants, sushi is now available everywhere. But that doesn't mean you are eating sushi the right way. There is more to sushi than you what you know. Even sushi connoisseurs might not be aware that they are making some grave mistakes in eating the dish. Here are some expert tips on eating sushi the right way:

Don't mix the wasabi and the soy sauce: How do you eat wasabi? Put a chopstick in a pile of wasabi, dip it into some soy sauce, mix the two and hog it down. If this is it then you are doing it wrong. This eating custom is mostly followed by the sushi lovers in America but is considered a poor eating manner in Japan. Experts say that doing this can spoil the flavors of Sushi. The right way of doing this is adding a dab of wasabi on top of the sushi roll and then dipping it into the soy sauce with the wasabi separate.

Use your fingers whenever needed: Not all of us have the skills of using chopsticks. The good news is that you have complete freedom of using your fingers when eating sushi. All you have to do is use your thumb, pointer and middle finger to hold the roll, dip it into some soy sauce and then place it into your mouth directly. In case of sashimi, however, this rule does not apply. Sashimi is meant to be eaten only with chopsticks.

Use ginger as a palate cleanser: When you are eating different varieties of fish, then after sometime all the fish taste the same because you are dipping each one of them in soy sauce. So when moving from one fish to another, use a small piece of ginger to clean your palate. The role of ginger in the sushi delicacy is to help you differentiate between the different flavors.

Eating nigiri: When eating nigir remember not to dip the rice side of the dish into soy sauce. Use your fingers or chopsticks to turn the nigiri to the fish side before dipping it into the soy sauce. Eat the nigiri fish side first to get the maximum flavors.

Source : articlesbase.com