A plate of nigiri sushi with two pieces of gunkan-maki—literally, “battleship rolls” —quail egg and caviar in the front, and salmon caviar (ikura) at rear. Photo courtesy CaviarRusse.com.

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July 2007
Last updated March 2010

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Fish, Seafood & Caviar

Sushi & Sashimi

Page 6: Nigiri Sushi, Oskinko, Philadelphia Roll & Other Terms With N, O, P

If you enjoy this Sushi Glossary, we have a food glossary for almost every category of food. Check out the Seafood Glossary, too.

Click on a to get to the appropriate glossary page.

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Nama: A prefix which means raw. (The same prefix applied to beer, nama-biiru, means draught.)

Nama-tako: Fresh or raw octopus. Most octopus sushi served in the U.S. is frozen and cooked.

Nanami Togarashi: A table spice made of seven ingredients: black hemp seeds or white poppy seeds, dried mandarin orange peel, ground sansho pepper pods (which provide heat), nori seaweed bits, red pepper (togarashi) and white sesame seeds.

Nasu: Eggplant.

Nijimasu: Rainbow trout is nijimasu. Regular trout is masu.

Nori: Dried sheets of purple laver seaweed used in the preparation of sushi rolls, known as norimake. The seaweed is washed and spread to dry, then toasted to enhance its flavor, texture and color. When toasted, it becomes black with green highlights.

Nori-tama: Tamago, or sweetened omelet, typically wrapped in dried seaweed when served as sushi. Ocha: Tea. Odori-ebi. “Dancing shrimp,” these are ama-ebi served and eaten alive. A Japanese custom, they are generally not served in U.S. establishments catering to Americans. Ohba: Another word for the Japanese beefsteak plant, shiso. Onigiri: Balls (or other shapes) of rice that include various seasonings and stuffings—sesame and nori, flakes of salmon, etc.

Photo of tea pot courtesy Harney.com.

Ohitsu: A special bowl to keep the sushi rice warm. Today, these are electric rice warmers.

Ohyo: Halibut.

Omakase: Chef’s choice—the chef prepares a selection based on the available fish of the day and his personal preferences.

Okonomi: The practice of ordering sushi a few pieces at a time. Onigiri:  Rice balls made with plain steamed rice and filled with various seasonings and stuffings, generally cooked fish and vegetables, nori and ume (plum paste). Some can be wrapped in nori or decorated with shredded nori, as in the photo of the ume rice ball, shown with two slices of pickled radish (takuwan). Oshibori: The moistened, heated towel offered to cleanse the hands before a sushi meal.

Photo of onigiri, or rice ball, © Aryu | Dreamstime.

Oshiwaku: A wooden box with a top used to make pressed sushi. Oshinko: Assorted pickled vegetables, which can be very salty. Another term for pickled vegetables is tsukemono. Depending on the restaurant, the latter can refer to a pickled cucumber salad. The vegetables generally include pickled carrot, cucumber, eggplant and different types of radish.

Photo of oshinko courtesy 5.ocn.ne.jp.

Oshi-zushi: Osaka-style sushi, squares of pressed rice topped with vinegared or cooked fish. The sushi is prepared in a wooden box called an oshiwaku, then unmolded and cut into bite-size squares and rectangles. There are different styles of pressed sushi, including battera (topped with mackerel or gizzard shad and cut into squares or rectangles), bozushi (pressed into a long candy bar shape and cut into bite-size pieces), hazushi (layered with plant leaves), hakozushi (cut into squares or rectangles, Osaka style), masuzushi (utilizing a bamboo leaf) and tazunazushi (toppings put on at a slant, resulting in “candy cane” stripes).

Otoro: Also known as toro, the fattest and most prized portion of the tuna, from the lower belly of the fish. As with beef, the marbling of fat makes the cut more tender.

Panko: A crispy wheat breadcrumb used in Japanese cuisine. It is made in small flakes rather than ground into crumbs like traditional breadcrumbs, so it provides a crunchier coating. Panko is used to provide crunch in some sushi rolls, either mixed in with chopped fish or sprinkled on other ingredients before they are rolled.

Perilla: See shiso. Philadelphia Roll: A roll created in America, made of cream cheese (hence the “Philadelphia” brand reference) and either regular raw or smoked salmon. Ponzu: A sweet sauce made with Japanese citron. Pressed Sushi: See oshi-sushi.   Continue To Page 7: Definitions R To S Go To Alphabet Index Bar Above

Photo of Philadelphia Roll by Andi Berger | Dreamstime.

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