The etiquette of sushi eating & pairing

etiquette

Sushi eating etiquette is simple, but it is important to be aware of basic etiquette. Never pass food from chopstick to chopstick and never stick your chopsticks standing out of your bowl. Lay them flat across the bowl or rest them on a chopstick rest. For sushi specifically, there are a few things to keep in mind. There is the correct form for dipping in soy sauce. Dip with neta (topping) first. Don't dunk the shari (rice) into the soy sauce. Dipping Shari directly absorbs too much soy sauce, so it can overwhelm the sushi and jeopardize the structure of the rice mound.

Chopsticks are the preferred utensil for eating sushi most of the time, but hands are perfectly acceptable as well, especially at higher-end restaurants. If ginger is provided, eat it between orders as a palate cleanser; it is not a topping. If you're eating kaitenzushi, you may take plates freely off the conveyor belt but never put a plate back. If seated at the counter of a conveyor belt restaurant with a chef in front of you, you can order directly from them as opposed to selecting something from the belt. Green tea is usually self-service at kaitenzushi.

Pairing sushi

There is a multitude of delicious ways to wash down your sushi. The traditional pairing is simply hot green tea or genmaicha, a type of green tea combined with roasted brown rice.

Sake is an excellent pairing with your sushi. Speak with your server to ask for assistance in choosing a sake for your meal. In the hot summer months a chilled, less dry sake is best. In the colder winter months, a heated, dry sake will go down a treat.

White wines, sparkling wines and champagnes are also excellent choices. Most sushi restaurants will often have a variety of drinks to choose from. However, kaitenzushi restaurants typically only stock green tea (which is often self-service at your table or counter), domestic draft beers and inexpensive sake.

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