Types of Sushi: Nigiri, Maki, Uramaki and Temaki

Nigiri, maki, uramaki, temaki: the names on a sushi menu stand for different shapes, ingredients, and techniques. This guide presents the main types of sushi, including the Japanese classics and the rolls that were created abroad.

The base of every sushi is vinegared rice combined with fish, seafood, egg, or vegetables; the topping is one of many choices.

The variety is enormous: vegetables, fried fish, and meats all appear as fillings, and the classification usually follows the shape. Restaurants also create their own variations.

Many of the rolls eaten in the West do not exist in Japan; the California roll, for example, is an American creation. The list below organizes the best-known types into categories and ends with the fish used as toppings.

To learn how to make your own sushi or start the path to becoming a sushi chef, see the Sushibilidade Program.

Contents 10

Origin and History of Sushi

Japanese food has become so common that few people stop to ask where it came from. Temaki shops and delivery restaurants have turned it into an everyday meal, and each ingredient in a roll is there for a reason.

Packing fish in cooked rice to preserve it began in Southeast Asia. The lactic acid released by the fermentation kept the fish from spoiling, and the rice itself was thrown away. The result was an early form of pressed sushi, and over time people began eating the rice along with the fish.

In the 17th century, vinegar began to be mixed into the rice, and the fish started to be eaten raw and fresh. Better navigation and the abundance of fish in Japanese waters made that possible. Snacks made only from rice, cooked or fried, also became popular during this period.

Sushi as we know it, with nori seaweed, vegetables, meats, and roots, is a practically complete food. The omega-3 from fish, the zinc and iron from seaweed, and the vitamin C from wasabi are among the reasons Japanese food is considered one of the healthiest in the world.

There are countless types of sushi, from the less healthy fried hot rolls to vegetarian options. Two items that usually appear alongside them belong to other categories: onigiri is a rice ball, and sashimi is fish served without rice. It takes time to get to know the basis of Japanese cuisine well; there are many combinations.

You can find the ingredients easily and start cooking at home, but the best way to get to know sushi before handling sharp Japanese knives is to eat at the restaurants available in your city or order delivery.

Curiosities about Sushi

Sushi is generally made with rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt, topped or filled with fish, seafood, eggs, or fruit. The word itself refers to the seasoned rice.

In Japan, apprentices train for years before they are allowed to work in a restaurant, and the first thing they master is the rice. Making sushi is an art that requires skill and technique.

The knives used by sushi chefs descend from the forging of samurai swords and are sharpened every day. Meals often end with miso soup, which is said to help digestion.

Wasabi is usually kept out of the soy sauce, because mixing the two dilutes the wasabi flavor, and some chefs take it as an offense. Between one piece and the next, a small slice of pickled ginger (gari) neutralizes the flavor of what came before.

The philosophy behind sushi holds that the customer eats with the eyes as much as with the mouth, so the preparation must be a constant creative exercise. Fresh fish is always used, and the sushi chef often dips his hands in cold vinegar water.

Types of Nigirizushi

Nigirizushi is shaped by hand: a small ball of rice with a slice of fish, usually raw, pressed on top. Most of the time, nori (the seaweed sheet) is not used, so this category covers sushi without seaweed. Many of the pieces look like those in the photo below:

Several varieties fall into this category or come close; the list below names them and their main ingredients:

• Maguro - A lean cut of tuna;
• Sake Nigiri - Salmon;
• Toro - Cut from the belly of fatty tuna;
• Amaebi - Raw sweet shrimp;
• Ika Nigiri - Made from squid;
• Hotate Nigiri - Scallops;
• Tako Nigiri - Octopus (a type of mollusk);
• Aji - Made from Japanese horse mackerel;
• Saba - Made from mackerel;
• Unagi - Grilled eel with sweet sauce;
• Sanma - Made from Pacific saury;
• Kani Nigiri - Made from crab leg;
• Kamaboko kani - Fish sausage made from surimi, shaped and flavored to look like crab meat;
• Shako nigiri - Made from mantis shrimp (looks like a centipede);
• Chutoro - Similar to toro, but less fatty;
• Iseebi Nigiri - Made from spiny lobster;
• Matsubagani - Snow crab legs;
• Hatahata - Sandfish;
• Kinmedai - Made from splendid alfonsino;
• Kisu - Made from sillago fish;
• Kohada - Made from Japanese gizzard shad;
• Hiramasa - Made from yellowtail amberjack;
• Tsubugai - Made from whelk;
• Torigai - Made from cockles;
• Kurodai - Made from black sea bream;
• Gindara Nigiri - Made from sablefish (black cod);
• Namera - Made from grouper;
• Hirame - Flounder;
• Hamaguri - A Venus clam;
• Aoyagi - A trough shell clam;
• Ohyou - Made from flounder;
• Akami - Loin of bluefin tuna;
• Sawara - Spanish mackerel;
• Sakura Niku - Raw horse meat;
• Isaki - Striped pigfish;
• Iwashi - Sardine;
• Shiro Maguro - White tuna (usually albacore);
• Tairagai - Pen shell clam;
• Kazunoko - Herring roe;
• Mirugai - Geoduck, a large clam;
• Mategai - Made from razor clam;
• Mamakari - Japanese sardinella (sappa);
• Sayori - Made from halfbeak;
• Masu - Made from trout;
• Goraz - Blackspot seabream, a fish known in Portuguese as goraz;
• Akagai - Made from ark shell;
• Hokkigai - Surf clam;
• Gyu Nigiri - Made from beef, usually lightly seared;
• Kuruma - Made from kuruma prawn, a species of tiger shrimp;
• Tamagoyaki - Slightly sweet Japanese omelet, sometimes mixed with chopped fish;
• Temarizushi - Sushi in the shape of balls;

It is worth remembering that some of the types of sushi mentioned in the list above may also be available in another version makizushi wrapped in seaweed, as in the cases of unagi and tamagoyaki.

Makizushi - Types of sushi wrapped in seaweed

This section covers makizushi and similar sushi: pieces wrapped in nori (seaweed), along with other rolled models. The word Makizushi [巻きずし] literally means sushi roll, and there are thousands of different maki.

Maki does not fit into a single category. Its best-known subcategories are hosomaki (thin rolls), futomaki (large rolls), and uramaki (rolled inside out).

The family also includes the cone-shaped temaki and inarizushi, seasoned rice tucked into a pouch of fried tofu and named after the Shinto god Inari.

Other related categories include:

• Oshizushi - Pressed;
• Gunkanzushi - Battleship;
• Edomae chirashizushi - Scattered in Edo style;
• Gomokuzushi - In Kansai style;
• Narezushi - Fermented and very labor-intensive;
• Sasamaki - Sushi wrapped in bamboo leaf;
• Yuba Maki - Sushi wrapped in tofu skin;

Uramaki - Rolled Inside Out

Uramaki [裏巻き] is a popular sushi in which a makizushi or hosomaki is rolled inside out: the filling goes inside the seaweed, and the vinegared rice stays on the outside.

The uramaki is mainly found in Western sushi, especially for diners who are not familiar with seafood and seaweed, and it can be decorated with fish roe or sesame seeds.

The style started when many Western diners did not like the black appearance of seaweed over the rice. Today, most uramaki is served in sushi restaurants outside Japan.

Types of Makizushi - Wrapped in Nori

Several types of sushi fall into this category or come close; the list below names them and their main ingredient:

• Kappa Maki - Filled with cucumber (a reference to the Kappa monster);
• Ikura Gunkan - Salmon roe;
• Uni - Sea urchin gonads, the edible part;
• Hamachi - Made from young yellowtail, a fish native to the northwest Pacific Ocean;
• Tekkamaki - Filled with tuna;
• California Roll - One of the rare Western types, made with cucumber, kani (crab-flavored fish sausage), and avocado;
• Futomaki - Thick roll; the filling varies, usually with egg, kanpyo, cucumber, and mushrooms;
• Natto Maki - Filled with Natto (fermented soybeans);
• Negitoro - Made with Negi (a type of green onion) and tuna belly;
• Umeboshi - Made from ume (pickled plum);
• Daikon Oshinko Maki - Filled with pickled daikon radish;
• Mentaiko - Pollock roe seasoned with chili pepper; it has a strong flavor;
• Shirasu - Anchovy or baby sardine;
• Tsunamayo Maki - Tuna with mayonnaise;
• Tobiko Nigiri - Flying fish roe;
• Masago - Capelin roe;
• Gunkanmaki - A hand-molded mound of rice wrapped in a nori strip, leaving room for the topping;
• Kanpyomaki - Filled with kanpyo (seasoned dried gourd strips);
• Noresore - Filled with baby anago (conger eel);
• Abokado Maki - Avocado sushi;
• Anakyu - Conger eel and cucumber;
• Namako - Sea cucumber;
• Spicy Tuna Maki - Western roll made with tuna, chili, and peppers;
• Umekyu - Cucumber and pickled Japanese plum;

Temaki - Cone Sushi

Temaki is a large hand-rolled cone of nori, usually about ten centimeters long and eaten with the hands. Personally, I don't like it much because of the amount of rice, but it is very popular.

The filling can vary widely, from salmon to tuna. The name temaki [手巻き] means hand-rolled, and the shape is often compared to an ice cream cone.

It is one of the easiest types of sushi to make at home, with no need for slicing or careful handling of the fish and rice. To learn more, read our article about Temaki, the cone-shaped sushi.

There is also a course called Temaki Experience that teaches you how to make temaki at home for little cost and even to earn money with delivery.

Narezushi

Narezushi is one of the oldest forms of sushi. The fish is gutted and descaled, then packed in salt and fermented for ten days to a month.

It is then placed in another barrel, packed in layers of steamed rice, and weighed down with an otoshibuta (a drop lid) and a stone. After about six months, the funazushi is ready, and it keeps for months.

Western Types of Sushi

Some rolls were created or popularized outside Japan and appear on menus under their original names:

• California roll
• Rainbow roll
• Caterpillar roll
• Alaska roll
• B.C. roll
• Fire roll
• Dynamite roll
• Spicy tuna roll
• Spicy yellowtail roll
• Spicy scallop
• Hawaiian roll
• Ahipoki Warship
• Philadelphia roll
• Negihama
• Salmon skin roll
• Salmon roll
• Seattle roll
• Spider roll
• Tempura roll
• Dragon roll
• Godzilla roll
• Soba roll
• Las Vegas roll
• Lobster roll
• Sarazushi
• Crayfish roll
• Monkey roll
• Sushi Burrito (Sushirito)

Types of fish used in sushi

Many restaurants use the Japanese name of the fish on their menus. The list below covers species used in sushi, nigiri, and sashimi, and many of them may be unfamiliar:

• Ainame (アイナメ) - Fat greenling;
• Aji (鯵) - Japanese horse mackerel;
• Aka-yagara (赤矢柄) - Red cornetfish;
• Akami (赤身) - Lean red meat of tuna;
• Akamutsu (アカムツ) - Pink sea bass;
• Amadai (あまだい) - Tilefish;
• Ankimo (鮟肝) - Monkfish liver (cooked);
• Ayu (鮎) - Sweetfish (raw or grilled);
• Buri (鰤) - Adult yellowtail (cooked or raw);
• Chūtoro (中とろ) - Medium fatty tuna belly;
• Dojo (ドジョウ) - Japanese loach;
• Ei (エイ) - Skate;
• Engawa (縁側) - Fluke fin;
• Fugu (河豚) - Pufferfish;
• Funa (フナ) - Crucian carp;
• Gindara (銀鱈) - Sablefish;
• Hamachi (魬, はまち) - Young yellowtail (35–60 cm);
• Hamo (鱧, はも) - Daggertooth conger;
• Hata (ハタ) - Grouper;
• Hatahata (鰰) - Sandfish;
• Hikari-mono (光り物) - Silver-skinned fish;
• Hiramasa (平政, 平柾) - Amberjack (Seriola lalandi);
• Hirame (平目, 鮃) - Flounder, a type of flatfish;
• Hokke (ホッケ) - Okhotsk atka mackerel;
• Hoshigarei (干鰈) - Spotted halibut;
• Ibodai (疣鯛) - Japanese butterfish;
• Inada (鰍) - Very young yellowtail;
• Isake (いさけ) - Trumpeter;
• Isaki (伊佐木, いさき) - Striped pigfish;
• Ishigarei (石鰈) - Stone flounder;
• Iwana (イワナ) - Char;
• Iwashi (鰯) - Sardine;
• Kajiki (梶木, 舵木, 旗魚) - Swordfish;
• Kanpachi (間八) - Greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili;
• Karei (鰈) - Flatfish;
• Kasugo (春子鯛) - Young sea bream;
• Katsuo (鰹, かつお) - Skipjack tuna;
• Kawahagi (皮剥ぎ) - Filefish;
• Kibinago (黍魚子) - Silver-stripe round herring;
• Kihada (maguro) (木肌鮪, 黄肌鮪, きはだ) - Yellowfin tuna;
• Kinmedai (金目鯛) - Splendid alfonsino;
• Kisu (鱚) - Sillago;
• Kochi (こち) - Flathead;
• Kohada (小鰭) - Japanese gizzard shad;
• Konoshiro (鰶) - Fully matured gizzard shad;
• Kue (クエ) - Longtooth grouper;
• Kuro (maguro) (くろまぐろ) - Bluefin tuna, the fish itself;
• Kurodai (黒鯛) - Black sea bream;
• Madai (真鯛) - Red sea bream;
• Maguro (鮪) - Thunnus (a genus of tuna);
• Makajiki (真梶木) - Blue marlin;
• Makogarei (まこがれい) - Marbled flounder;
• Mamakari (飯借) - Japanese sardinella (sappa);
• Masu (鱒) - Trout;
• Matou-dai (まとう-だい) - John dory;
• Mebachi (maguro) (めばちまぐろ) - Bigeye tuna;
• Meji (maguro) (メジ鮪) - Young Pacific bluefin tuna;
• Mejina (メジナ) - Girella;
• Mekajiki (目梶木) - Swordfish;
• Nijimasu (虹鱒) - Rainbow trout;
• Nishin (ニシン) - Herring;
• Noresore (のれそれ) - Baby anago;
• Ohyou (大鮃) - Flounder;
• Okoze (虎魚) - Okoze stonefish;
• Saba (鯖) - Mackerel or blue mackerel served raw or marinated;
• Sake, Shake (鮭) - Salmon;
• Sanma (秋刀魚) - Pacific saury (autumn) or mackerel pike;
• Sawara (鰆) - Spanish mackerel;
• Sayori (針魚, 鱵) - Halfbeak (spring);
• Seigo (鮬) - Young sea bass (1-2 years);
• Shima-aji (しま鯵) - White trevally;
• Shinko (新子) - Very young gizzard shad;
• Shirauo (しらうお) - Whitebait (spring);
• Shiro maguro (白鮪) - "White" tuna (usually albacore);
• Suzuki (鱸) - Sea bass;
• Tachiuo (タチウオ) - Beltfish;
• Tai (鯛) - Sea bream;
• Tara (鱈) - Cod;
• Toro (とろ) - Fat belly of bluefin tuna;
• Ōtoro (大とろ) - Fatty portion of bluefin tuna belly;

The list above maps the main sushi types, from nigiri and maki to the rolls invented in the West, along with the fish you will see named on menus. If a name from your sushi menu is not on the list, write it in the comments.