“Shall we order sushi?” – This Japanese delicacy has been invariably winning the hearts of Poles for several years now, and deservedly so. Why? We will explain in today’s article!

This time you will find out:

• Is sushi healthy?
• What is the difference between uramaki and hosomaki?
• Where to buy sushi – Biedronka or a reputable restaurant?
• Is it possible to make tasty and healthy homemade sushi?

We will also explain why sushi is relatively expensive and to taste it, you have to pay a bit more than for a “typical Polish dinner” in a restaurant.

What is sushi, is it worth eating?

First of all, it is worth knowing that this is a traditional Japanese dish that dates back to the eighth century AD. The construction remains relatively simple to this day – it is usually a combination of raw fish, rice and seaweed. Everything is rolled into a roll and then cut into round pieces. In this form, sushi is meant to fit in the mouth “at once”. Interestingly, sushi in vegan form, i.e. without fish, has also recently become very popular.

As is usually the case, there are those who love this dish and there are also its staunch opponents. One of the eternal battles waged by both factions is the fundamental question: is sushi healthy?

The answer is definitely yes, but not necessarily. Let us explain! Well, as in many other cases, it is worth taking individual ingredients into account. Good sushi must first of all be made of fresh and properly stored ingredients (definitely fish) which come from ecological farms. Cheaper meat (e.g. tuna) may contain mercury and other harmful toxins which should be avoided. The quality of the food, as we have said many times and will continue to say, plays the first fiddle here.

Another subject that raises questions is the composition of the rice mortar with which we can form our rolls. Well, such a basic dressing consists of such ingredients as sugar, rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. In the case of 100 g of rice these are not large amounts, but in the case of larger portions we are talking about several tablespoons of each of these ingredients. Alternatively, if you’re making your own mortar, use xylitol or erythritol and leave out the salt.

However, when we look at whether sushi is healthy from the point of view of fresh and high-quality ingredients, the case is clear. Here is what you can count on:

• fish is an excellent source of protein and unsaturated fatty acids, selenium, phosphorus and vitamins B and D,
  
  
• As for rice, you can again find a lot of protein, vitamins B, C and E in it, as well as supplying the body with energy in the form of complex carbohydrates,
  
  
• nori seaweed, on the other hand, is an ideal source of iodine, protein and other valuable minerals.

Prerequisite? We emphasise once again – the highest quality ingredients, properly processed by an experienced manufacturer.

Types of sushi

Moving on to the practical part, most people are probably aware that traditionally sushi is eaten with fingers or chopsticks, and not with a knife and fork. However, the nomenclature itself sometimes causes problems. Let us therefore explain what they are:

Maki

This is the simplest, generic name. Maki sushi is simply Japanese for… rolls. They are rolled with a bamboo mat and consist of rice, seaweed and filling.

Uramaki

While maki is characterised by the seaweed being on the outside, uramaki is the opposite – nori is on the inside and rice on the outside, often with a sesame sprinkle. The American variety of uramaki is California maki, made with crab sticks.

Hosomaki

This is the most common variety, the smallest and quite cheap compared to more fancy rolls. Hosomaki is rice, seaweed and fish (or a vege component), encased in a diameter of max. 3 centimetres. The variety with cucumber is called Kappa maki.

Futomaki

They differ from hosomaki futomaki in that they are larger in volume, thus increasing in diameter, up to 6 cm. Inside the roll are perfectly composed, four ingredients (and sometimes even more). The base usually remains fish and the additions are vegetables.

Tempura maki

Sushi restaurants very often also offer an extremely tasty variety of sushi in tempura, a special Japanese batter.

Apart from this, the menu still features sashimi, which is sushi stripped from rice, temari, inari, oyakomaki, kaburamaki, gunkan maki and more. If you want to know more about all the types along with their calorie content, let us know in the comments! Meanwhile, we move on to another important topic.

Best places to buy a Japanese speciality

Here the matter is simple – definitely avoid ready-made products from the market. Firstly, because they take quite a long time to get from preparation to eating, so we lose the aspect of freshness, and gain the undesirable effect of visiting several fridges and freezers. Sushi and Biedronka? Of course it is possible, but the taste will be incomparably worse than in the case of what an experienced sushimaster prepares before our eyes. We will not even mention quality.

It is also worth choosing carefully among restaurants, often relying on the recommendation of people with more experience and knowledge. Although nowadays most such establishments strive for top-quality customer service – this is a good sign. The most important variables are the skills of the chef, often acquired through years of experience, and above all the source of supply.

It should also be taken into account that the price of, for example, a kilo of the best salmon can be really staggering, and this affects the final amount for the ordered set. In Poland sushi is not cheap, on average you have to pay for it about twice as much as for a classic dinner in a restaurant.

How to make sushi at home?

The only remedy to cut costs is to learn a new skill, namely how to make homemade sushi. The task is not easy when it comes to choosing the ingredients – you need to buy the right rice, seaweed and fish, or, more recommended in this case, ingredients suitable for the vegan variety: smoked tofu, carrots, cucumber, avocado, yams…

There are a lot of possibilities here, and by the way, it is worth bearing in mind that raw fish is not easy to process (it is not difficult to get infected with bacteria or parasites), so if you do, it is better to opt for the cooked version.

The next stage, learning to roll, is a trial and error method of preparing the rice. The greatest difficulty lies in the fact that the rice must be sufficiently sticky so that the whole thing remains compact, but also not overcooked if we want to obtain the right taste and sensations while eating. You should therefore be prepared for the fact that homemade sushi will not turn out perfectly the first time…

Do you like sushi or are you a sushi skeptic? Can you afford an average of 300-400 calories from one roll of this delicacy (a roll usually consists of 5-6 pieces)? And what was your most interesting adventure with it, maybe it was preparing homemade sushi for which you have a special recipe? Share your opinion in the comments! 🙂

If you want to check the detailed nutritional value of sushi, use the Fitatu app. More information about Fitatu can be found at: https://www.fitatu.com