Detailing the Types of Sushi & Sushi Rolls.

Sushi is loved around the world. While many know there’s a difference between sushi and sashimi, there’s actually many differences between sushi itself. Here is a guide to identifying sushi and sushi rolls:

Modern-Day Types of Japanese Sushi

Nigiri

Nigiri is also known as “Edo-mae” which refers to Tokyo, formally known as Edo, the birthplace of modern-day sushi. In the 1800s, nigiri was first created as a fast food meal for workers to enjoy a quick street food snack. Food stall owners would place raw fish on top of sushi rice. For variety, tamago, cooked fish like unagi, seared seafood, and vegetables were also used.

Makizushi

Also known as maki sushi or norimaki. Makizushi was first made in the early 1700s after sheet nori was invented. This sushi rolls features nori on the outside rolled with rice and one or more ingredients within the rice.

Hosomaki

This is the most basic type of makizushi with only one ingredient in the sushi roll such as fish or a vegetable.

Futomaki

Futomaki is another type of makizushi that translates to “fat rolled sushi”. The roll is vegetarian and filled with cucumber, egg, spinach, and shiitake mushroom. You can typically find futomaki in bento boxes, potlucks, and even regional festivals in Japan.

Temakizushi

Directly translated to “hand roll”, a temaki looks like a sushi ice cream cone as the seaweed simply wraps around the rice and filling in a cone form. Because of its ease of rolling, this is a common roll made at home.

Gunkan maki

Gunkan maki is like a nigiri wrapped in nori. This was first created in the 1940s in Tokyo’s Ginza district where a reputable sushi chef shaped a “gunkan” or “battleship” oval-shaped sushi with nori so that the seaweed could hold fillings like uni and ikura with ease and not spill out.

Temarizushi

Temari translates to “hand ball” as this type of sushi is rolled into a ball – both the ball of rice and the thin slice of raw fish on top. This is presented colorfully and decorative and served in parties and picnics.

Other Types of Popular Sushi

Uramaki

Translating to “inside-out roll”, the uramaki is actually not created nor found in Japan. This sushi roll was first invented in the 1970s in Los Angeles by a Japanese sushi chef who realized his American clientele did not appreciate the taste of nori. So he inverted the roll with rice on the outside and nori wrapping the filling. The California roll is the first uramaki that is still widely popular in Japanese-American restaurants.

Inarizushi

Inari are sushi rice pockets with sushi rice enveloped by a thin, deep-fried tofu that’s softened and sweetened – though not considered a dessert. This is a savory popular snack found in bento boxes and convenience stores.

Chirashizushi

Chirashi translates to “scattered sushi” as this is a sushi rice bowl featuring sushi rice topped with raw fish and garnished with shredded egg, nori, and ikura. This bowl can be an individual, but it is also meant as a party food to be shared.

Traditional Types of Japanese Sushi

Narezushi

Narezushi is the first sushi created in Japan in the 700s. This sushi was first created with the purpose of preserving fish in fermented rice. The rice would be discarded and the fish was consumed. This type of sushi can still be found in Japan today.

Oshizushi

Also known as hakozushi, which translates to “box sushi” or “pressed sushi”. This sushi followed the invention of narezushi and was first made in Osaka. As opposed to the hand-formed narezushi, oshizushi preserved fish by packing it tightly in boxes with fermented rice. Today you can find unagi and mackerel as the toppings.

Sasazushi

Sasa, meaning bamboo leaf, was first created in the Nagano prefecture in the early 1500s. This rustic style of sushi pressed wild vegetables, or later salmon, onto a bed of sushi rice that was held in bamboo leaves.

Kakinohazushi

This is another type of pressed sushi but this one uses persimmon (kaki) leaves from the Nara region. In the days before refrigeration, fresh seafood was wrapped in leaves and preserved with fermented sushi rice to endure transportation around the country. Today, you can find this type of sushi with salmon, mackerel, prawns, and eel.

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