sushi
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: so͞osh'i
ipa: /ˈsuːʃi/
ipa: /ˈsuʃi/
rhymes: -uːʃi
homophone: souchy
Forms: form: sushis
form: sushi
Etymology: Borrowed from Japanese 寿司(すし) (sushi, “sushi (sour rice)”), ultimately from archaic conjugation 酸(す)し (sushi, “sour, vinegared”) of modern adjective 酸(す)い (sui, “sour, vinegared”).
Senses: examples: text: For the vegetarians, she served cucumber sushi.
text: He went to a Japanese restaurant and ordered sushi and noodles.
text: Suzuributa.—Mashed fish, eggs, 'sushi' of shrimps, plum cake, black mushroom, plum, and finely cut orange.
ref: 1879 October 4, W. H. Patterson, “Japanese Cookery”, in Notes and Queries, volume s5-XII, number 301, London: John Francis, →DOI, page 263:
text: Not long ago a newspaper reporter came to interview me on the subject of unusual foods, and I described to him the persimmon-leaf sushi made by the people who live deep in the mountains of Yoshino—and which I shall take the opportunity to introduce to you here.
ref: 1977 [1933], 谷崎潤一郎 [Jun'ichirō Tanizaki], translated by Thomas J. Harper and Edward G. Seidensticker, In Praise of Shadows, Sedgwick, ME: Leete's Island Books, translation of 陰翳礼讃 [In'ei Raisan] (in Japanese), →ISBN, page 40:
roman: Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
text: I lived in New York all my life. We used to have Chinese restaurants, ltalian restaurants. Now you have these sushi restaurants. Everyone goes for sushi. Sushi—I hate the stuff. Although, I tell you, I had some the other day. I took it home, I cooked it, it wasn't bad. It tasted like fish.
ref: 1985, Leora Barish, Desperately Seeking Susan, spoken by Taxi Driver:
text: To appreciate sushi, you have to forget the tastes and textures that come with Western cuisine. At first glance (or should I say taste?), a sushi of flounder will not be that different from a sushi of sea bream. But, for the Japanese, these two sushi are as different as roast beef and roast pork are for a Westerner.
ref: 2004, Chihiro Mazui, Kazuko Masui, “Introduction”, in Sushi Secrets, London: Hachette Illustrated, →ISBN, page 12:
text: As Trevor Corson, author of “The Story of Sushi” explains, in Japan, sushi is typically eaten at a bar, where it’s customary for the customer to chat with the chef, who can recommend what’s in season. The short window during which the fish is fresh also makes it more likely to be tastier in Japan.
ref: 2023 June 15, Rebecca Wallwork, “‘You had to be there’: Foods that taste better on home turf”, in CNN:
glosses: A Japanese dish made of small portions of sticky white rice flavored with vinegar, usually wrapped in seaweed and filled or topped with fish, vegetables or meat.
examples: text: You will recall that, contrary to the relative appearance of the words, the sashimi are the simple raw fish slices and the sushi are the rolls of rice and raw fish.
ref: 1983 May 31, Robert Nadeau, “Restaurant: Gyuhama of Japan: Suit yourself with sushi”, in Richard M. Gaines, editor, The Boston Phoenix, volume XII, number 22, Boston, Mass.: Boston Phoenix Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, section 2, page 10, column 3:
text: Rusty put a sushi in her palm. / Mary Kate popped it into her mouth. It tasted salty and crunchy. “Cucumber!” she said. / “My grandmother puts a surprise in the middle of each one,” said Rusty.
ref: 1989, Jean Marzollo, chapter 5, in The Green Ghost of Appleville (39 Kids on the Block; 1), New York, N.Y.: Scholastic Inc., →ISBN, page 42:
text: I reach out and pop a sushi into my mouth while I’m waiting for someone to answer a question.
ref: 1997, Jeffrey A. Kottler, “Focusing on People”, in Travel That Can Change Your Life: How to Create a Transformative Experience (Jossey-Bass Psychology Series), San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass Publishers, →ISBN, page 92:
text: Startled by the venom, Erik almost dropped a sushi into his mixture of soy sauce and wasabi.
ref: 2009 September 14, Frank Penater, “Undercover”, in The Gene Card, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 161:
glosses: One of the portions from this dish.
examples: text: 'Can't eat sushi?' I said. Then Mom said, 'You can't eat uncooked fish when you're pregnant' as if I'm the one stupid enough to go and get pregnant!
ref: 2012, Alison Acheson, Molly's Cue, page 26:
glosses: Raw fish, especially as a Japanese dish.
Derived terms: conveyor belt sushi
southern sushi
sushi belt
sushi burrito
sushi-go-round
sushi grade
sushi knife
sushi-meshi
sushi pizza
sushi rice
sushirrito
sushi terrorism
sushi train
tongue sushi
Related terms: California roll
nigiri
sashimi
sushi roll
kimbap