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SASHIMI
Sashimi (Japanese: 刺身, literally "pierced body") is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafoods, thinly sliced into pieces about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide by 4 cm (1½ inches) long by 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick, and served with only a dipping sauce (like soy sauce with wasabi paste and thinly sliced ginger root, or ponzu), and a simple garnish like shiso and shredded daikon radish. Some sashimi ingredients, like octopus, are sometimes served cooked due to its rather chewy nature when raw. Most seafood, like tuna, salmon, and squid, are served raw. Less common, but not unusual, sashimi ingredients are vegetarian items such as yuba (bean curd skin) and raw red meats, such as beef or horse. The name sashimi may have come from the practice of sticking the tail of the fish on the slices, to let it be known which fish one was eating.
Sashimi is often the first course in a formal Japanese meal, but also often served as a main course with rice and Miso soup in separate bowls. Many people believe that sashimi, traditionally considered the finest dish in Japanese cuisine, should be eaten before other strong flavours affect the palate. Sashimi represents, in a way, the Japanese cultural appreciation of subtlety. The finer sensation can vary from salmon (firm but melt-in-your-mouth) to squid (slippery but firm), as well as everything in between.
Sashimi is similar to sushi, another Japanese food that featuring raw fish that is commonly served at the same establishments. Differences between sushi and sashimi are that: sushi contains additional ingredients beyond fish and garnishes (at a minimum, rice and vinegar); sushi often has other featured ingredients besides raw meat; and sushi is made at home less commonly than sashimi.
Sauces served with sashimi very simple, typically soy sauce, wasabi, and sometimes lemon juice. Japanese people often mix wasabi paste directly into soy sauce when preparing dipping sauces for sashimi, which is generally not done when eating sushi. However, some purists denounce the practice of mixing wasabi into soy sauce, saying that this dilutes the sharp hot flavour of wasabi. The wasabi is put in soy sauce because it issupposed to kill harmful bacteria on the raw fish.
Varieties of sashimi
See also: List of sushi and sashimi ingredients
Some of the most popular sashimi are:
- 鮭 Sake: Salmon
- いか Ika: Squid
- えび Ebi: Cooked Shrimp
- まぐろ Maguro: Tuna
- さば Saba: Mackerel
- たこ Tako: Octopus
- とろ Toro: Fatty Tuna
- はまち Hamachi: Yellowtail
- ふぐ Fugu: Takifugu
Tataki, (たたき or 叩き lit. "pounded"), is a type of sashimi. The name comes from the fact that sliced onion is placed on top of the uncut piece of fish and tapped with the side of the cutting blade to transfer the flavor. Also it is quickly and lightly seared outside, leaving it still raw inside.
Sashimi-style dishes
Sashimi-style dishes are not unique to Japan. For instance, the Finnish joulupöytä usually contains sashimi-like slices of salmon, whitefish or pikeperch. Gravlax, raw salmon cured in herbal brine, can also be considered as variant of sashimi.
- Ceviche (Peruvian raw fish dish)
- Carpaccio (Italian raw beef or tuna dish)
- Namasu (raw fish dish Sashimi introduced from ancient China to ancient Japan)
- Gravlax (Scandinavian brine cured raw fish dish)
- joulupöytä (Finnish dish)
See also
External links
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