Difference Between Sushi and Maki

Sushi vs Maki

Sushi is a rice dish which is flavored with vinegar and garnished with fish and other seafood as toppings, or it is rolled inside nori, a dried and pressed sheet of seaweed. It is a Japanese meal that traditionally consisted of fermented fish and rice. The fermented fish is consumed and the rice is discarded.

Modern Japanese sushi, which is the sushi that we are familiar with today, started at the end of the Edo Period in Edo, now known as Tokyo, Japan. It was invented by Hanaya Yohei and known as Edomae Zushi because the fish that were used were caught in Edo-mae or Tokyo Bay. It was not fermented but rather eaten fresh using the hands and consumed anywhere.

It is easy and quick to prepare. The main ingredient is sushi rice which is Japanese rice that has short grains and is sticky when cooked. Other ingredients include vinegar and the different toppings and fillings which are added for variety.

Sushi has several types, namely:
Nigirizushi, which is formed by the hands and consists of an oblong mound of rice with wasabi and toppings made of salmon, tuna, and other seafood which are bound to the rice by a thin strip of nori. This sushi has two kinds: Gunkanmaki or warship roll and Temarizushi or ball sushi.
Oshizushi, which is also called pressed sushi and is block shaped.
Inarizushi, which is fried tofu filled with sushi rice.
Chirashizushi, which is also called scattered sushi and is placed in a bowl and topped with sashimi and garnishes.
Narezushi, which is known as matured sushi and is similar to traditional sushi with fermented fish.
Makizushi or Maki, which is rolled in nori using a makisu or bamboo mat. It is cylindrical and is sliced into six to eight bite-size pieces. Aside from nori, it can also be wrapped in omelette, soy paper, cucumber, or parsley.
Maki has many types that include:
Fotumaki, a large cylindrical roll with two or three fillings consisting of vegetables or tiny fish roe or chopped tuna.
Hosomaki, a thin roll that contains only one filling which is usually tuna, cucumber, kanpyo, carrots, or avocado. This sushi has several varieties: Kappamaki, Tekkamaki, Negitoromaki, and Tsunamayomaki.
Temaki, a large cone-shaped sushi rolled with nori with the fillings spilling out of the wider end.
Uramaki, a medium sized cylindrical sushi with two or more fillings with the nori on the inside instead of outside like all the other maki types.

Summary:

1. Sushi is a Japanese dish which is made with vinegar-flavored rice, topped or rolled with different toppings and fillings while maki is another type of sushi.
2. Sushi can be rolled in nori, placed in a bowl, or pressed and shaped like a rectangle or oblong while maki is just rolled in nori.
3. Both have several varieties, but sushi has a variety that is similar to the traditional fermented sushi while maki does not.

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