Sushi is a popular and tasty dish. It is an important part of Japanese cuisine and is served cold. It has a tangy taste. The term sushi means sour-tasting. It used fermented rice for making a new dish. During the Muromachi period, the Japanese started adding vinegar to their sushi. This step was taken in order to enhance taste.
Rice is the main ingredient in sushi. However, seafood is also a popular alternative. Fishes like salmon and tuna serve as rich sources of protein. There are many varieties of sushi. These are chirazisushi, inarizushi, roll sushi, and hand roll sushi. Roll sushi and hand roll sushi are a source of confusion, but they are not the same.
Roll vs Hand Roll Sushi
The difference between the roll sushi and the hand roll sushi is that roll sushi is cylindrical in shape and smaller in size, whereas hand roll sushi is conical in shape and larger in size.
The roll sushi is also called Makizushi. It has a cylindrical shape, and many varieties. It is rolled using a bamboo mat. It is ideally a shared meal. The hand roll sushi is also called Temaki. It is conical in shape, and is the only type available. It is rolled by hands. It is ideally a one-person meal.
Comparison Table Between Roll and Hand Roll Sushi (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter Of Comparison | Roll Sushi | Hand Roll Sushi |
|---|---|---|
| Also Known As | It is also known as Makizushi. | It is also known as Temaki. |
| Shape | It is cylindrical in shape. | It is conical in shape. |
| Rolling Method | Rolled using a bamboo mat called makisu. | Rolled by hands, as the name suggests. |
| Size | It is cut into small pieces, so it has a small size. | It has a large size. |
| Serving Method | Served with chopsticks, owing to its small size. | Served without chopsticks, owing to its large size. |
What is Roll?
The roll sushi is also called makizushi. It is a long cylindrical sushi. The main ingredient in the roll sushi is rice. Vinegar is added to the rice for flavor, and fish and vegetables are added as filling.
The roll sushi is also called norimaki because the roll is a seaweed that is called nori in Japan. A bamboo mat makes the rolling of the sushi easy. This mat is called makisu.
After rolling the sushi into a cylindrical shape, it is cut into small coin-like pieces. The sushi is then served with chopsticks. This makes the roll sushi a shared meal. The roll sushi has wide fame in the form of an appetizer. It has many types, such as hosomaki, chumaki, futomaki, and others.
The hosomaki is a very simple roll sushi. It is one inch long, and contains a single ingredient. A chumaki is a popular sushi roll. It can contain upto four different ingredients. The futomaki is about two-and-a-half inches long. It can contain many ingredients beside the rice and seaweed.
What is Hand Roll Sushi?
The hand roll sushi is also called temaki. It is a conical sushi. The primary ingredient of a hand roll sushi is raw fish. The fish sneaks out of the covering. Many types of spices are also added to enhance its taste.
The hand roll sushi also contains a seaweed roll that is called nori in Japan. As the name suggests, the sushi is rolled into a conical shape by the hand. Therefore, it resembles an ice cream cone in shape. The sushi is at least ten centimeters long. It is not cut into smaller pieces and is eaten by hand. Therefore, it is ideal as a one person meal.
The hand roll sushi has to be eaten immediately after being cooked. Otherwise, the nori absorbs the moisture from the filling and becomes difficult to chew. It doesn’t have further types.
Main Differences Between Roll and Hand Roll Sushi
The roll and hand roll are types of sushi. Their name derives from the different ways of their rolling.
The main differences between the two are :
- The roll sushi is also called makizushi, whereas the hand roll sushi is also called temaki in Japanese.
- The roll sushi is cylindrical in shape, whereas the hand roll sushi is conical in shape.
- The roll sushi is smaller in size, whereas the hand roll sushi is larger in size.
- The roll sushi is rolled using a bamboo mat, whereas the hand roll sushi is rolled by hands.
- Chopsticks are needed when feeding on roll sushi. On the other hand, a hand roll sushi being bulky is eaten by hand.
Conclusion
Apart from the delicious taste it has, sushi is highly rich in nutritional content too. The raw fish and vegetables in it are a great source of proteins and omega-3 fatty acids.
It has gained worldwide fame and has seen many alterations in its recipe, particularly in the West. It was a Norwegian who introduced the salmon fish in the sushi.
The traditional way of presenting and serving sushi is on wooden plates. This is done in order to preserve the aesthetic appeal of the dish.
The roll sushi is rolled using a bamboo mat. On the other hand, the hand roll sushi is rolled by hands.
However, there are serious health risks that may be associated with the consumption of sushi. The raw fish may have been exposed to methylmercury, which leads to mercury poisoning in humans. Also, fishes harbor many parasites and bacteria. The impact of these parasites on human health is well-known.
About 18 million people have been affected worldwide by the diseases caused by raw fish. The Chlonorchiasis disease is caused by a fluke. The anisakiasis disease is caused by a roundworm. The diphyllobothriasis disease is caused by a tapeworm.
The massacre of fish for making sushi has also concerned the environmentalists. It is expected that already threatened species should not be exploited further for taste.
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