Japanese cuisine is not as popular as Chinese or Indian cuisine so there is substantial confusion about popular dishes. The most popular Japanese dish is sushi. But it is not one standard or typical dish. Sushi is like a realm of its own and there are umpteen variations. Many people are still confused about what constitutes sushi or what it exactly is. Let us explore the nitty-gritty of Japanese cuisine pertaining to sushi and we shall also discover the difference between maki and sushi in the process.
Sushi is a very vague term. It can be any Japanese meal that contains fish or rice, at times both. Many people perceive sushi as raw fish but it is not always the case. Only a few fishes can be served raw. All other fishes in sushi preparations are cooked. Now, sushi is the mother cuisine, a subgenre or subsection of Japanese cuisine. There are many types of preparations within the realm of sushi. Sashimi, maki, nigiri and rolls are different recipes or styles of cooking and resulting dishes within the sushi realm.
Difference Between Maki and Sushi
Sushi is fish, rice with a tinge of vinegar and it may contain additional ingredients depending on the prerogative of the chef. In Japanese, sushi is the combination of shari and neta. Neta is the seafood or the fish. Shari is the cooked rice which also contains the vinegar, cooked in a way the chef has chosen to. The shari and the neta combine to form the dish of sushi. If you are only served neta or some preparation of a chosen fish, then it is known as sashimi.
Sushi dates back to the Tang dynasty of 7th century. It used to be fermented fish and rice. The word sushi means sour. Today, fish is no longer fermented. Rice is not discarded like the ancient times. Sushi is now vinegar flavored rice with slices of seafood eaten as a wholesome meal.
Maki is a type of sushi. Sushi is usually maki sushi, oshi sushi or nigiri sushi. Nigiri sushi has slices of fish on the rice. Oshi sushi has fish cut in smaller sizes, into shapes of squares and rectangles and they are placed in a wooden box. Maki, which is also known as rolled sushi, has a cylindrical shape. It contains the seafood and needs seaweed wrap. It may use cucumber, omelet or soy paper as the wrapper. Some chefs use tofu as its wrap.
Maki is essentially rolled sushi. You can call it maki sushi, rolled sushi or maki roll. Maki may not contain fish at the centre. It may contain vegetable or some other stuffing.
