Sushi Quiz

The first sushi was salted fish served in fermented rice, which had a sour flavor.

Maki means "rolled sushi" and is often made using a flexible bamboo mat called a makisu.

The rice prevented the fish from going bad; typically the rice was simply cast aside during a meal.

Freezing kills harmful parasites; it is illegal to serve raw fish in the U.S. unless it has been frozen.

A week at -4 degrees F is sufficient to kill most parasites; colder temperatures do the job much faster.

The chef presses rice into mounds and then tops it with seafood or fish.

Prices of bluefins rise each year as the population continues to nosedive due to overfishing.

Sashimi doe not contain rice; it is simply strips of raw fish.

Uni is so popular in Japan that the country imports many of the animals from the United States.

These fat rolls have a large diameter of 2 inches or more; they are usually stuffed with vegetables and sometimes cooked fish.

This "matured sushi" is usually fermented for about six months; it has an overwhelming odor that drives away many would-be diners.

Only master chefs can serve pufferfish (fugu) because several body parts are extremely toxic and can cause paralysis and suffocation.

Surimi is often used in place of real crab meat, particularly in California rolls.

Japanese cuisine was all the rage in the early 1900s but then waned in popularity as a wave of anti-Japanese sentiment took hold across the U.S.

Nori, or seaweed, is often used to keep rolled sushi in its familiar cylindrical form.

American wasabi is usually made from horseradish that's been dyed green; real wasabi is difficult to find and diners are sometimes charged extra for it.

Yellowtail is also called the Japanese amberjack; it is native to the northwest Pacific Ocean and prized for its higher-than-average fat content.

Unagi is freshwater eel, which is reported to have a richer taste than saltwater eel.

This style, called uramaki, was popularized by the California roll, which was created to hide the nori behind a layer of rice.

Once the fish has been sitting thawed for 24 hours, you may want to rethink how badly you want to eat it.

The "scattered" sushi is too messy to eat by hand, so it is served in a bowl.

Crab is always served cooked; it is typically cooked and then frozen before being used for sushi.

The hakozushi is pressed into blocks using a wooden mold; raw fish is never used in this particular style of sushi.

The fatty underbelly is marbled, creating prized flavors that command ridiculously high prices.

An itamae is the person who creates your delicious meal of sushi.

It is not common in the United States, but some people say raw chicken sashimi is a lot like raw tuna.

Wasabi isn't the only natural antibacterial component of a sushi meal -- in addition to serving as a palate cleanser, pickled ginger also kills bacteria.

Raw beef is often on the menu in Japanese sushi restaurants; marbled Wagyu beef is especially desired.

Capelin, a type of smelt, is prized for its roe, which is frequently used in sushi dishes.

If you use your fingers, you're less likely to destroy the rice mound that makes up much of the nigiri.