nigiri vs. sushi

nigiri vs. sushi: What's the difference?

Nigiri is a type of sushi. Sushi is made with cold boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar. Nigiri is made by shaping the rice into bite-sized pieces and topping it with raw seafood. Unlike the other types of sushi (maki and temaki), nigiri is generally not rolled and wrapped in seaweed.

nigiri

[ni-geer-ee] / nɪˈgɪər i /

Sometimes nigiri-zushi

noun

Japanese Cooking.

cold boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar, shaped into bite-size pieces and topped with raw seafood.

sushi

[soo-shee] / ˈsu ʃi /

noun

Japanese Cooking.

cold boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar, usually shaped into bite-size pieces and topped with raw seafood (nigiri ), formed around strips of vegetable or raw fish into a cylindrical seaweed-wrapped roll that is sliced into bite-size pieces (maki ), or wrapped together with strips of vegetable or raw fish in a sheet of dried seaweed and rolled into a cone shape (temaki ).