# Sushi vs. Sashimi: what gives? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475 "2002-03-11T04:14:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/1 "2002-03-11T04:14:44Z")
I’ve been eating sushi with relish (well, actually with wasabi, ha ha) for years now, but I still haven’t quite managed to figure out exactly what the difference is between sushi and sashimi. Can someone enlighten me? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/2 "2002-03-11T04:24:34Z")
Sashimi is bite sized pieces of raw fish. Sushi is cold vinegared rice, rolled in seaweed with fish or vegetables or topped with fish or vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/3 "2002-03-11T05:01:04Z")
Take the fish off the top of piece of sushi and you’ve got sashimi, more or less. But it must be fish and it must be raw (e.g. unagi is not sashimi, nor is squid or shrimp). ---
**Author:** ![OliverTwistofLime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b487fb/32.png) [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/4 "2002-03-11T06:19:31Z")
Isn’t uni the eggs from a sea cucumber? On rice wrapped in seaweed, it is classified as sushi. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/5 "2002-03-11T07:08:23Z")
Uni is sea urchin roe, though I have seen it used in Sushi bars for sea urchins themselves, but not sea cucumber. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/6 "2002-03-11T08:10:44Z")
Namako is sea cucumber and it isn’t worth eating. Just throw it away. sashimi must be fish. Horse is called “bazashi” (the “zashi” is the same as the “sashi” in “sashimi” and generally means “sliced”).:o ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/7 "2002-03-11T10:00:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ace\_Face \* > \*\*Take the fish off the top of piece of sushi and you’ve got sashimi, more or less. But it must be fish and it must be raw (e.g. unagi is not sashimi, nor is squid or shrimp). \*\* Isn’t it possible to get sashimi beef? I am sure I have seen raw beef on Japanese menus (and avoided it). However sashimi is WONDERFUL! I hate rice so I always go for that rather than sushi. With masses of wasabi mashed into my soy… ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/8 "2002-03-11T10:18:59Z")
That’s gyuzashi (“gyu” is cattle/cow/beef/whatever - see post on “bazashi”), not “gyuzashiMI”. The “mi” indicates it is fish, but only in practice (it doesn’t actually mean “fish,” it means “body”) This is really pedantic, but…there are some places that will call it “gyunikusashimi” (beef sashimi) but the vast majority will say “gyuzashi” Same difference really, hey, it’s raw beef!😃 ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/9 "2002-03-11T14:07:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ace\_Face \* > \*\*But it must be fish and it must be raw (e.g. unagi is not sashimi, nor is squid or shrimp). \*\* I beg to differ. According to Kojien (unabridged Japanese dictionary) sashimi can be made from “fish or other food”. I also looked up “basashi” and it says “sashimi made from horsemeat.” If you go to a supermarket in Japan you will see various seafood (calamari, shrimp, etc.) marked as “for sashimi.” ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/10 "2002-03-11T15:27:51Z")
Sashimi is just sushi without the rice. Fugu is what I want to try. One with, one without. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/11 "2002-03-11T15:52:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Sashimi is just sushi without the rice.Fugu is what I want to try. One with, one without. \*\* No, sashimi is always raw. There are many kinds of sushi which are not made with raw ingredients - broiled eel, sweet omelet, cucumber (vegetable, not sea cucumber), cooked shrimp, etc. Fugu is pretty good but nothing special - it’s just fish. My favorite sashimi is _ise-ebi_ (spiny lobster). Best if served next to the still twitching head of the lobster. And the miso soup made from that head is divine. ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-vs-sashimi-what-gives/97475/12 "2002-03-11T21:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\* > > I beg to differ. According to Kojien (unabridged Japanese dictionary) sashimi can be made from “fish or other food”. I also looked up “basashi” and it says “sashimi made from horsemeat.” If you go to a supermarket in Japan you will see various seafood (calamari, shrimp, etc.) marked as “for sashimi.” \*\* Doh! You and isatara are correct. I forgot about beef sashimi, even though I had it in japan. So where does that leave our definition? Seems like: Sashimi = any raw meat, served in slivers, NOT served “sushi style” ie with vinegared rice