OneBiteWonder - Learn: Jargon

Jargon

The following is a list of Sushi jargon that puzzle even some Japanese people. We recommend you read the article Sushi Encyclopedia: Watch the jargon on the Extra Bites page before using one of them.

Jargon	Official Japanese	English
Agari	O-cha	Tea. Read the story behind this word.
Garage	Shako	Mantis shrimp.
Gari	Sho-ga	Vinegar-pickled ginger.
Jabara	Oh-toro	Belly part of tuna. Fattier than Chu-toro. See note below. Jabara means snake belly.
Murasaki	Sho-yu	Soy sauce. Murasaki means purple. Read the story behind this word.
Namida	Wasabi	Wasabi. Namida means tears.
Shari	Sushi meshi or go-han	Sushi rice or rice. Read the story behind this word.
Shimohuri	Chu-toro	Marbled - belly part of tuna. Very fatty. See note below.
Tekka-maki	Maguro-maki	Tuna roll. Read how tekka maki was born.
Tsume	Tare	Thick sauce made of soy sauce, sugar, and Japanese cooking wine (sometimes fish broth is added).
Yama	Urikire	Sold out / out of order.

Note:

Tuna slices become fattier in this order. The far left is the least fatty: akami [red meat] -> toro -> chu-toro -> oh-toro.

Trivia:

This is not jargon, but some fish change its name as it grows, which is called promotional fish. The typical example is yellow tail. The far left is the youngest:
wakana -> hamachi -> megiro -> buri [yellow tail]

Sushi icons by Hide

Home | About Sushi : now&then : types | Fun&Learn : vocabulary : manners : jargon : extra bites | Roll It : basics : recipes : more | Dining | Contact | Links
© 2002 OneBiteWonder. For comments on this site: tchen314@yahoo.com
This site is for CIS139 (web development class).