The most common types of sushi

Nigiri

Nigiri consists of a hand-pressed bed of rice that is typically topped with a single piece of seafood and sometimes an accoutrement, like a glaze or a little bit of fish roe.

Maki

This type of sushi boasts a sheet of nori on the outside, which is wrapped around sushi rice to help contain both the rice and the sushi filling at the center.

Uramaki

Uramaki is an inside-out roll with rice on the outside, followed by a sheet of nori and sushi filling at the center.

Sashimi refers to raw seafood cut into thin slices.

Sashimi

Temaki

Put down your chopsticks and grab a stack of napkins, ‘cause temaki is a particularly fun type of sushi that’s meant to be eaten with your hands.

Gunkan

Gunkan means ‘ship’ in Japanese, and that’s exactly what this type of sushi resembles.

Chirashi

Most Americans are more familiar with sushi rolls tidy little packages of raw fish or veggies and rice but chirashizushi is a different style of sushi that features the same key ingredients.