Happy & Healthy

12 things every true sushi connoisseur should know

Three hundred and twenty-eight times. Just a little guess, huh, how many times I've eaten sushi in my life. I have literally gotten out of bed at half past one at night when my sister arrived with my favorite rice rolls. Recently, I organized a small Japanese party here at the editorial office (look here but) and that's why Jet thought it would be a good idea for me to share my obsession with you and I would write about food just this once.

So rapapapa, today I'm sharing my sushi knowledge with you. Bonus points if you know all this about my favorite food:

– Did you know that sushi literally means ‘sour taste’? The rice that comes with sushi is actually cooked with rice vinegar and sugar.

– There's a good chance you've never eaten real wasabi. The green paste we get served in the Netherlands almost always consists of a mixture of mustard, radish, horseradish, and green dye. And that has very little to do with the real Japanese wasabi, which is made from the roots of the Wasabia Japonica.

– In Japan, it's actually quite normal to eat sushi with your hands. Those chopsticks? Oh, we Westerners like that, and that's the only reason why it is so.

– You eat that (if it were up to me, tasting like toilet duck) ginger in between all the different types of rice rolls to neutralize your taste.

– And if you're at that Japanese place: you actually drink miso soup directly from the bowl.

– Took a bit too much wasabi? That ‘burn baby burn feeling’ goes away quickly if you breathe very deeply through your nose for a few seconds.

– A training to become at the office? That’s a whole different story. And it really feels super deluxe.a chef (itamae san) takes at least five years. The world's best sushi chef is currently the 90(!)-year-old Jiro Ono.

His restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro has three Michelin stars. A documentary was even made about Jiro (and his restaurant): ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’. .

– Sushi is super healthy, deep-fried shrimp in mayo is not. Eating sushi at the Japanese place remains a healthy meal if you stick to the basics: rice and seafood. And even then, remember the portions.

– Leaving soy sauce behind is not appreciated in Japanese culture. So scratch your head twice before you rudely pour that half bottle of Kikkoman into your bowl.

– It's also not polite to roll your chopsticks over each other. By doing so, you call the restaurant in question cheap. And the smart ones know: insulting the people who cook for you is, uh, not smart.

– Those same chopsticks should also neatly lie against each other on a holder with the tips pointing slightly to the right. It's all in the details, folks.

– Are you ever going to eat sushi in Japan? Then especially don't leave a tip. In Western restaurants, that's quite normal, but those Japanese have long memories and this is also seen as an insult.

By the way, how do you make the coolest square sushi ever? Check it here.