# Do Japanese people make sushi at home? Or is it more of a specialty thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 10, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402 "2025-06-10T00:00:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/21 "2025-06-10T14:58:47Z")
Some interesting differences of opinion and experience in this thread. I don’t like salmon sushi personally. The way the congealed fat coats my mouth is unpleasant. I would not be surprised if that view is shared by some Japanese. Just like the widely varied opinions on ‘proper’ poutine I have heard from Quebecoise, I am sure there is no absolute. I was of the impression that it is a health regulation that raw served fish be previously frozen. Checking the [provincial health guidelines](https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eh-guidelines-for-sushi-prep.pdf), apparently many fish such as tuna are excused from this requirement. I can certainly tell the texture difference (at least sometimes) in previously frozen tuna. The unfortunate reality is that fresh seafood is not an easy thing in Alberta. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/22 "2025-06-10T15:02:29Z")
If “fresh” fish means the stuff that’s been sitting in ice on a dock and in a grocery store for 24+ hours, I’ll take the frozen, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/23 "2025-06-10T15:14:36Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I started using my at home sushi making kit today … I got a sushi kit for Christmas maybe 20 years ago (specifcally, a sushi-rolling kit with a bamboo rolling mat). The rice prep in the kit’s guide book was WAY too fussy, and ended up making home sushi a non-starter. At least using the methods in the kit’s book. I’ve been wanting to start a thread for years about making home sushi, and this is as good a thread as any to jump in on. If it’s too much of a tangent, and I should make a new OP, let me know. Assume below that I’m aiming to make “inside out” [_uramaki_](https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipe/1541-uramaki-inside-out-sushi-roll?srsltid=AfmBOopL9qV2mPbeQ70aKuXT3Ay0YSrlZcSuetROIfWme7KPg6oJtzj5) rolls (rice on the outside, nori + filling on the inside). Second best would be [_nigirizushi_](https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-nigiri-4800801#:~:text=What%20Is%20Nigiri%20Sushi%3F,%22hand%2Dpressed%20sushi.%22). _Chirashi_ is intriguing, but I’d been wanting to re-create my favorites before trying other styles. _First point of curiosity:_ **Is there a shortcut at all for making good-enough sushi rice?** Something I could whip up on a stovetop in a half hour or so? Doesn’t have to be five-star restaurant good – just needs to have sufficient vinegar flavor and be “sticky” enough to roll. The sushi kit book I mentioned above made the rice preparation seem like a multi-day affair. If that kind of preparation is the bare minimum to produce acceptable home sushi, then never mind – I’ll stick with take out. If there IS a shortcut, or practical method to make good-enough sushi rice quickly for spur-of-the-moment rolling, then I’d love to learn of it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/24 "2025-06-10T15:18:53Z")
You have to work with what you have. Salmon has advantages in Canada, including safety. But no one will ever mistake it for toro. My opinion is certainly no substitute for what Japanese people have to say in the subject. My experience is Japanese are almost absolute experts on things they take seriously. If you meet a Japanese hobbyist, say a jazz enthusiast, they know _much_ more about the subject than the average affectionado. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/25 "2025-06-10T15:19:03Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I started using my at home sushi making kit today, and while the result was delicious, it was catastrophically unlike a professionally made sushi roll. I imagine that with time I’ll get better at it. But I don’t expect to become a sushi chef ever. You made sushi that tasted good. That already makes you a sushi chef in some sense. > [@](#): > > In the Land of the Rising Sun, is sushi made in the home, too? Yes, it is made at home. The ingredients are staples of Japanese food, often on hand and readily available at typical markets. > [@](#): > > Or do the Japanese prefer to have a professional product (be it from the convenience store or a 3 Michelin star restaurant)? Just as many people would prefer a home cooked meal here in the US and around the world over one bought at a restaurant. > [@](#): > > I note that making sushi is somewhat labor intensive and somewhat time consuming, although nothing on the order of ramen’s requirements. Making a variety of rolls at home can be labor intensive, not too mention expensive, but there are plenty of simple sushi dishes that one wise person accurately defined as stuff on rice. It’s very easy to get a different impression of sushi because of popular culture and a massive marketing campaign to ennoble the food style. It is still nothing but rice, fish, and other stuff. One favorite dish shown to me by Koreans is to smear tuna salad over a sheet of nori and rolled up. Perhaps the some Japanese people are too proud of their culturally iconic food style to admit that is sushi, but I bet they do it at home anyway. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/26 "2025-06-10T15:25:24Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > You have to work with what you have. Salmon has advantages in Canada, including safety. But no one will ever mistake it for toro. When I’ve considered making sushi at home for my personal taste, I didn’t even care about using fine, fresh, raw fish at all. Shrimp, lump crabmeat, and crawfish tail meat are all available locally (SE Louisiana is a major seafood hub). I like surimi in sushi, and that’s also easy to get at our groceries. I like avocado and cucumber in sushi, and am also OK with cream cheese in small quantities. SPAM sushi is done (in Hawaii), I believe, so I’d be game for that. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/27 "2025-06-10T15:48:10Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > My experience is Japanese are almost absolute experts on things they take seriously. If you meet a Japanese hobbyist, say a jazz enthusiast, they know _much_ more about the subject than the average affectionado. Related to sushi, time-consumption of, I’m reminded of character bentos. > **[Australian mother reflects on “lunchbox shame” she felt from her son’s Tokyo...](https://soranews24.com/2019/05/22/australian-mother-reflects-on-lunchbox-shame-she-felt-from-her-sons-tokyo-preschool-teacher/)** > > Preschool teacher says the Australian-style lunch she made was “not appropriate.” > **[Kyaraben](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyaraben)** > > Kyaraben or charaben (キャラ弁) is a shortened form of character bento (キャラクター弁当, kyarakutā bentō). Derived from the traditional bento box of Japan, kyaraben became a fun way to make meals for children beginning in the 1990s. It is a style of elaborately arranged bento (Japanese boxed lunch), which features food decorated to look like animals, plants, traditions, characters from popular media, and more. Pandas and bears are two popular animals people make into kyaraben. Characters from children Or... ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/28 "2025-06-10T15:54:47Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > **Is there a shortcut at all for making good-enough sushi rice?** Something I could whip up on a stovetop in a half hour or so? Doesn’t have to be five-star restaurant good – just needs to have sufficient vinegar flavor and be “sticky” enough to roll. I used my Insta Pot, two cups of water to two cups of rice. Per instructions, I _thoroughly_ rinsed the rice, and then rinsed and and then rinsed it some more. Anyhoo, while the rice was cooking, I made the vinegar-sauce thing (so much rice vinegar, so much sugar, so much salt), heated over low-to-medium heat. Once all that was done, I just let both cool for an hour or so until I could work with it. Also per instructions, I poured in the vinegar mixture _very_ slowly, painfully slowly, and folded into the rice not so much as stirred it. Did it make delicious, sticky rice that worked perfectly for my first attempt? Absolutely. Is Masahari Morimotu rolling in his grave (though still alive) at my creation? Double absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/29 "2025-06-10T15:57:54Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Excluded middle much? A “roll” (in scare quotes) comes from a big box store in Middle America, while standard sushi in Japan is an omakase meal? I don’t know what’s “standard” in Japan. A sushi roll certainly has its place and I don’t want to come off sounding like a sushi snob., but suffice to say that I have never, ever seen such a thing in an upscale sushi restaurant, including restaurants and sushi bars that have a very wide variety of offerings. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Salmon is fatty (essential for flavour) and delicious. It is good for homemade Canadian sushi precisely because it has been frozen soon after catch to minimize parasites. It is available and fairly cheap. It is the smartest and tastiest choice for everyday sushi. Your opinion is certainly valid and factually correct about salmon – it’s no _otoro_, but yes, it can be tasty, which is why I quite enjoy smoked salmon – I even have it with wasabi – but as a matter of personal taste I don’t particularly enjoy it in sushi. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It isn’t what they serve at Kaji, a high end Toronto sushi place with $200 fixed dinners I love Sushi Kaji, not so much for the sushi (which, needless to say, is excellent) but for the wide variety of courses in the fixed-price menus. It feels just like being in Japan! But for a fantastic _omakase_ of sashimi and sushi combined with great ambience, I highly recommend Shoushin to anyone within driving, walking, or crawling distance from the Toronto area! You’re unlikely to escape with less than a $500 bill for two, but so, so worth it! Shoushin is where I first discovered that proper “sashimi” does not mean sushi but without the rice – it actually means (at least as interpreted by Shoushin) a wide variety of courses, some of them hot, similar to what Kaji does on a larger scale. The difference at Shoushin is that the sashimi courses are fewer, with a much greater emphasis on the sushi that follows. Shoushin was founded by the chef I mentioned before from the now-defunct former sushi restaurant in which I believe he was just an employee and not the owner. In setting up his new restaurant, he put a lot of emphasis not just on food quality, but on ambience. The sushi bar, for instance, is made of raw unvarnished light Hinoki wood. And the last time I was there, I was treated to the famed Japanese courtesy. They have a vast assortment of saki, and when I professed ignorance as to which I might like best, after some questioning about my preferences, I was brought at least half a dozen samples of different ones so I could decide. I love that place – perhaps the ultimate sushi fulfillment outside of Japan! ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/30 "2025-06-10T16:10:45Z")
> **[FRED.050.pdf](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/fedaidpdfs/FRED.050.pdf)** “Three species of anadromous salmon are native to Japan: Chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, pink salmon, 0. gorbuscha, and cherry salmon, 0. masou.” ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/31 "2025-06-10T16:17:05Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I have never, ever seen such a thing in an upscale sushi restaurant Fair enough… and I’m not meaning to be argumentative, but I thought the whole gist of the question here was whether sushi is made at home and what that common sushi might look like. I missed that the conversation had shifted to what is or is not expected for upscale sushi in Japan. And, that said, a few minutes searching for upscale sushi in Tokyo and looking at the photos in google shows a variety of different maki. Not as common as other preparations, but still in the mix. ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/32 "2025-06-10T16:36:10Z")
I lived in Japan for about 20 years in the 80s, 90s and 2000s and have had sushi made at friends’ homes and made it myself countless times. For me, the most difficult thing is correctly blending the seasoned vinegar with the hot/warm rice (the best way is to have at least 2 people so that one can pour the mixture over the rice and at least one can use a hand fan to cool the rice off while it is being mixed.) An extremely common (but IMHO, not a really good tasting product, but it’ll do) is this powdered mix to make sushi rice. It’s available online and not too hard to find in Asian supermarkets in the US. > **[Amazon.com : Tamanoi Sushinoko Rice Mix, 2.64-Ounce : Rice Produce : Grocery...](https://www.amazon.com/Tamanoi-Sushinoko-Rice-Mix-2-64-Ounce/dp/B003U32VI8)** > > Premium quality sushinoko rice mix. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/33 "2025-06-10T17:30:39Z")
I have a friend who is a rather accomplished chef. He makes wonderful sushi at home all of the time. Me, on the other hand? I’ve tried it a few times before deciding I’ll leave it to the professionals. Besides, I’m very fortunate to have an amazing sushi bar nearby. It has been family owned for 40 years. One brother runs the California sushi bar and the other one runs their companion restaurant in Tokyo. The only rolls you will find here are tekka maki (tuna) and california rolls. They do serve salmon nigiri, which comes with a little paper-thin onion, bonita flakes and a little ponzu sauce. Once you eat at this place, your desire to go to a typical sushi bar diminishes greatly. I don’t need need big rolls with 10 ingredients doused with spicy mayo. Just give me some expertly sliced yellowtail and toro and maybe a little uni or anago to wrap things up and I’m good. This place has a line out the door every day for lunch and dinner, and the vast majority of the customers are Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/34 "2025-06-10T18:14:01Z")
> [@FluffyBob](#): > > I don’t like salmon sushi personally. The way the congealed fat coats my mouth is unpleasant. I would not be surprised if that view is shared by some Japanese. Just like the widely varied opinions on ‘proper’ poutine I have heard from Quebecoise, I am sure there is no absolute. That’s one of those situations where tastes obviously vary. I agree with you that salmon does produce that mouth feel. But that’s the exact reason that I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/35 "2025-06-10T18:47:19Z")
Thanks for that. The salmon sushi I had in Japan was okay (so I thought they had some, but the best are red sockeye and chinook not on your list), but paled in comparison to otoro and many other types. Canadians generally are thrifty and unwilling to pay (and perhaps fully appreciate) the high prices the best sushi commands (unless on business accounts). We settle for “good value” “Japanese” restaurants, usually run by Koreans, that serve “all you can eat” edemame, teriyaki, gyoza, bulgogi, kalbi, a selection of soups and salads and dim sum favourites, pretty sushi rolls and sashimi made from generic tasting fish (except at high end places), decent tempura, and green tea ice cream for C$20-C$50; more on weekends or for supper rather than lunch. Great if particularly hungry. Oishi. Not very authentic. When in Tokyo, I ate at Sushizanmai (?) many times. So good, a chain, probably not close to the very best. I went to a couple of Zagat places which did fancy things with local ingredients but were not nearly as delicious. Canada has too many lakes to name, and lots of good fresh fish. But delicious ones like pickerel or trout are rarely served in sushi form. Salmon is cheap and I could get a fresh filet with skin still on (delicious if torched or fried crispy for seconds in sesame oil while leaving the fish raw) at any time, conveniently frozen at source to ease concerns about eating uncooked fish at home. It is not the best, but is an excellent choice for the home cook. I’m not complaining. There are Japanese restaurants specializing in organ meats, chicken skewers, aged steak or ramen that mostly don’t have Canadian equivalents. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/36 "2025-06-10T19:34:22Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Canada has too many lakes to name, and lots of good fresh fish. But delicious ones like pickerel or trout are rarely served in sushi form. Freshwater fish aren’t safe to eat raw. They tend to be much higher in bacteria and parasites than saltwater fish are. I suppose you could use cooked freshwater fish in sushi, but that’s not what most people want when they get sushi at a restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/37 "2025-06-10T21:41:54Z")
You’re welcome and thanks for telling me about the places you eat in Canada….they sound GREAT❣️ As for freshwater fish, in general, what @Jeff_Lichtman said is correct. That being said, there is a famous and delicious type of sushi called “masuzushi” made with a specific type of freshwater fish…trout (“masu” is “trout” in Japanese. It’s rarely found outside of the area where it is a specialty, Toyama on the Sea of Japan. I’m guessing that it’s because it doesn’t “travel” well. > **[Masuzushi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masuzushi)** > > Masuzushi (鱒寿司, literally 'trout sushi') is a kind of Japanese ekiben boxed meal sold on trains and train stations in Japan. It is a type of oshizushi (pressed sushi) and a well-known souvenir of Toyama. > Masuzushi is made of vinegared trout sashimi on top of vinegared rice and wrapped in bamboo leaves. There are other local types of sushi made with freshwater such as sushi in Nara (one of only 8 of 47 prefectures that are landlocked) made with a freshwater fish known as “ayu” (“sweetfish” in English). But other than masuzushi, I’ve never run across any common type of freshwater fish sushi. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/38 "2025-06-10T22:14:46Z")
> [@Tokushizu](#): > > I’ve never run across any common type of freshwater fish sushi. This should count. > **[Unagi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unagi)** > > Unagi (ウナギ) is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, particularly the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica (日本鰻, nihon unagi). Unagi is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking, often as kabayaki. It is not to be confused with saltwater eel, which is known as anago in Japanese. > Unagi is served as part of unadon (sometimes spelled unagidon, especially in menus in Japanese restaurants in Western countries), a donburi dish with sliced eel served on a bed of rice. A kind of sweet biscuit called unagi pi... It is cooked, of course (traditionally, charcoal-broiled). But it is, indeed, freshwater fish used as a topping in nigirizushi. ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/39 "2025-06-10T22:22:04Z")
Yes, but I was specifically referring to raw fish. There’s also “funazushi” which is made with lactic acid fermented fish. It’s VERY much local to Shiga Prefecture (another of Japan’s 8 landlocked prefectures), home of Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa. It’s quite pungent and you couldn’t pay me to eat it! > **[Funazushi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funazushi)** > > Funazushi is a type of nare-zushi, an ancient Japanese type of sushi. It is a local dish of Shiga Prefecture (formerly Ōmi Province), where it has been made since ancient times using Lake Biwa's nigorobuna (Carassius auratus grandoculis) and other fish as the main ingredients. > Funazushi is a type of nare-zushi. Nare-zushi is a food made by salting raw fish for several months, removing the salt, and then mixing it with cooked rice and fermenting it with lactic acid bacteria. Generally, the rice ... ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402/40 "2025-06-11T04:15:09Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > It is cooked, of course (traditionally, charcoal-broiled). With good reason. As it says in your Wiki article, > As eel is poisonous[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unagi#cite_note-6) unless cooked,[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unagi#cite_note-7) eels are always cooked, and in Japanese food, are often served with [tare sauce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tare_sauce). Unagi that is roasted without tare and only seasoned with salt is known as “shirayaki.”[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unagi#cite_note-8) In the link [6] you find it’s due to toxic serum, not contaminants. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-japanese-people-make-sushi-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019402.md?page=3)