Nigiri Sushi(nigirizushi)

Nigiri sushi is one of the most well-known types of sushi, in which hand-formed portions of soured rice are served with a variety of toppings, usually raw fish or seafood. The term nigiri means “grip” or “handful”, which describes the preparation method in which the rice is formed by hand into small oval balls. These are then topped with a slice of fish or other seafood and often have a touch of wasabi added.

The most common toppings include tuna (maguro), salmon (sake), yellowtail mackerel (buri), shrimp (ebi) and eel (unagi). In addition to raw fish, other ingredients such as omelette(tamago) or pickled vegetables can also be used. To prepare nigiri sushi, the rice(shari) is seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt and then shaped by hand into small oval portions. A thin slice of fish or another ingredient is placed on top of the rice, often with a small amount of wasabi in between. Sometimes the whole thing is held together with a strip of nori (dried seaweed).

Nigiri sushi originated in Edo (now Tokyo) in the early 19th century and quickly became popular as a quick and convenient street food. It was originally called edomae sushi because the fish came directly from Edo Bay.