There are thousands of outstanding sushi restaurant in the United States serving millions of foodies each year. Yet many people remain intimidated by the sushi-dining process, and never allow themselves to enjoy one of the healthiest, more delicious cuisine styles on the planet.

To help beginning sushi lovers-to-be, we present the follow glossary of basic sushi terms and definitions. This information will help introduce to the world of sushi and provide the knowledge to enter any Japanese restaurant and order with confidence.

Basic Sushi Glossary

Aburage – Fried pouches made of tofu, cooked in water, sake and soy sauce.

Agari – A delicious type of green tea.

Aji – A type of mackerel (also known as “Spanish Mackerel).

Akami – The leanest part of the tuna, Akami is cut from the very back of the fish.

Anago – A conger eel found in salt water.

Anko-nabe – A popular variation of monkfish stew.

Baigai – Small water snails

Bara Sushi – A unique type of sushi in which sushi rice and seafood ingredients are all mixed together and served.

California Roll – One of the most popular sushi dishes in the United States.  Includes crab meat, flying fish or smelt and avocado.

Chutoro-maki – A marbled tuna roll

Ebi – Boiled shrimp (plain and simple!).

Engawa – The delicious meat that surrounds the muscle of the scallop (can also refer to the muscle that controls a halibut’s fin).

Fugu – One of the most infamous types of sushi, fugu is a blowfish that can be toxic if prepared incorrectly.

Futo-maki – A roll filled with cooked egg (sweetened), rice, pickled gourd and vegetables.

Ika – Squid

Inada – A young yellowtail fish

Iso-don – A bed of sushi rice served beneath fish, vegetables or a mixture of other items.

Kamaboko – This is a fish cake with pounded whitefish and a mixture of cornstarch.

Kani – Crab meat

Kanpachi – A young yellowtail fish.

Katsu – Not technically sushi, Katsu refers to foods fried using bread crumbs. The most popular type of Katsu is Chicken Katsu.

Koi. Saltwater carp

Kombu and Konbu – These terms refer to kelp or dried seaweed.

Kurodai – A dish using snapper.

Make Sushi – A sushi roll made using seaweed, rice and vegetables at the core of the roll.

Maki-mono – Rice and fish rolled together and wrapped in seaweed

Mochi – Sweet rice cakes

Mushimono – Refers to any steamed dish.

Philadelphia Roll – Another American favorite, a Philadelphia Roll is a roll made with salmon, cream cheese and vegetables.

Sake. A strong wine made from rice. An essential at most sushi restaurants around the world.

Sashimi – This popular dish includes chilled raw fish served without rice. (Fish is sliced)

Senbei – These thin rice crackers are usually served with soy sauce or a variety of other seasonings.

Shirumono – The Japanese term for soup

Shoyu – Soy sauce

Suimono – A clear, but flavorful soup

Tako – Octopus

Tekka-don – A selection of raw tuna served over rice.

Wasabi – A spicy Japanese horseradish. If you’ve never used Wasabi before, be careful your first time!

Yosenabe – A Japanese fish and vegetable stew.

Sushi has become a popular dish in North America. Chefs are created new dishes specifically designed to suit the American palate. Many of the dishes such as the California roll while very popular in the US is practically nonexistent in the east.

The California roll was the original American sushi variation. It includes avocado, imitation crab, and cucumber. It is typically made uramaki, so that the rice is on the outside with the nori inside. Similar to the California roll is the Caterpillar roll which adds unagi. The Rainbow roll is a California roll topped with sashimi.

They Dynamite and Crunchy rolls are often confused depending upon location. The Dynamite roll consists of yellowtail, carrots, bean sprouts, chili, and a spicy mayonnaise. The Crunchy roll is a California roll that is deep fried and topped with a sweet eel or chili sauce.

The Spider roll uses real soft shell crab and has other fillings such as cucumber, avocado, sprouts, roe, and spicy mayonnaise.

Salmon is a popular sushi ingredient and has inspired many creations. The most common is the Philadelphia roll which has smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber. The Salmon roll has grilled salmon, sweet sauce, and cucumber. Lastly, the Seattle roll contains smoked or raw salmon, cucumber, and avocado.

Other common ingredients in American rolls are scallops, spicy tuna, beef, teriyaki chicken, vegetables, okra and cheese. Sometimes brown or black rice is substituted for the traditional sushi rice.

Sushi rice is short-grained, white Japanese rice that is mixed with a dressing. The dressing contains rice vinegar, sugar, slat, and sometimes sake. It is served at room temperature. The rice consistency is very important. It must be sticky but not mushy or dry.

The seaweed wrapper used in sushi is called Nori. Nori is an algae that was originally cultivated in Japan’s harbors. It is scraped from the docks and rolled into sheets dried in the sun. In Japan, the Nori may not be toasted. However, in the US it typically is. It is a commercial product and can be eaten as a snack by itself.

Raw fish must be of a higher quality than cooked fish. Sushi chefs are trained to recognized important aspects such as color, smell, and firmness that may not be discovered in commercial inspection.

Sushi is a type of Japanese cuisine that combines vinegar rice and fish. It is growing in popularity throughout the world. Originating in Asia, traditional sushi is fermented rice and fish preserved with salt. The word “sushi” literally means sour. There are 5 different tastes of sushi depending upon the fermentation process.

The basic taste of sushi is termed umani. It is produced when the rice ferments producing vinegar that breaks down the fish into amino acids. The oldest form of sushi in Japan, Narezushi, is very similar. Over the years, Nazerushi evolved to Edomae nigirizushi. Edomae nigirizushi is what Americans know as “sushi” today.

However, modern Japanese sushi is far distant from the original umani. When sushi originated, only the fish was eaten. The rice was used solely for fermentation and not consumed. This traditional style of strong tasting fish is still made today in Lake Biwa in Japan. The dish is known as funazushi and is a type of narezushi. In the Muromachi period between 1336 and 1573, vinegar was added to the dish for taste and preservation. The vinegar accented the sour rice and sped up the process of fermentation. Eventually, fermentation was excluded all together in the dish. The dish was now termed oshi-zushi. Oshi-zushi included fish and rise pressed together with bamboo molds. It made it’s way to Edo which is Tokyo today in the mid 18th century.

Hanava Yohei invented the contemporary version of sushi in the 19th century. It was created as form of fast food since it was not fermented, and therefore, could be prepared quickly. In addition, the food could be eaten by hand on the go. This sushi was known as Edomae zushi as it was composed of fresh fish caught from the Edo-mae Bay. To this day, sushi is formally known as Edomae nigirizushi.

Today nigiri sushi is still eaten with fingers. It is served on minimalist wood or lacquer plates. The prices are often fixed and selected by the chef. Grades are matsu (pine), take (bamboo) and ume. Ume is the least expensive and matsu is the most costly. It is common in Japan and gaining popularity abroad for sushi to be served kaiten zushi or train style. A conveyor belt runs with different colors of plates of sushi. Each plate is worth a certain price, and at the end of the meal, the customer’s dishes are tallied to calculate the bill.