How is sushi supposed to be eaten?

Sushi is eaten by picking it up and taking a bite, just like you eat a sandwich or a piece of cake.

Sushi is food made from rice, fish, and sometimes seaweed, all stuck together in neat little packages. You can think of sushi like a tiny, tasty friend who wants to be eaten whole.

How to pick it up

When you’re eating sushi, you usually use your hands, just like when you grab a cookie or a piece of fruit. You gently pick up the sushi and bring it to your mouth.

How to take a bite

Once the sushi is in your mouth, you chew it slowly, just like you do with a piece of chocolate or a crunchy cracker. Sometimes there’s wasabi, which is a spicy green paste, it goes well with sushi and makes your tongue feel tingly, like when you eat something really hot.

If you’re eating nigiri (sushi with fish on top), you can even dip it in soy sauce before you take a bite. It's like giving the sushi a little drink to make it taste better!

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Examples

  1. Using hands to pick up nigiri
  2. Dipping sushi into wasabi and soy sauce
  3. Eating sushi in one bite

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Categories: Culture · sushi· etiquette· food culture