Sushi
Sushi is the Japanese preparation and serving of cooked vinegared rice combined with varied ingredients , chiefly seafood , vegetables , meat , and occasionally tropical fruits . Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely , but the key ingredient in all cases is the rice , also referred to as shari or sumeshi .
Sushi can be prepared with either brown or white rice . It is often prepared with raw seafood , but some common varieties of sushi use cooked ingredients , and many other sorts are vegetarian . Sushi is often served with pickled ginger , wasabi , and soy sauce . Daikon radish is popular as a garnish .
Sushi is often confused with sashimi , a related Japanese dish consisted of thinly sliced raw meat or fish and an optional serving of rice .
Sushi originates in a Southeast Asian dish , known today as narezushi salted fish , stored in fermented rice for possibly months at a time . The lactofermentation of the rice prevented the fish from spoiling ; the rice would be discarded for consumption . This early type of sushi became an important source of protein for its Japanese consumers . The term sushi comes from an antiquated grammatical form no longer used in other contexts , and literally means " sourtasting "; the overall dish has a sour and umami or savoury taste . Narezushi is still made in Japan to this day .