Until you try a few different types of sushi, you can't know for sure if you really like it or not. When you think of sushi, you probably imagine rice and raw fish wrapped in seaweed. While this is indeed one kind of sushi, it is definitely not the only kind of sushi available.
You can choose from many different types of sushi, as it has many flavor and texture variations. One type of sushi might not work for you, but another type might suit you fine. Experiment a little to see what might tickle your taste buds.
The following are different types of sushi available in most sushi restaurants:
Maki-zushi (Rolled Sushi)
This is the sushi you probably think of when you think of sushi. An interior of sushi rice (rice mixed with a vinegar/sugar/mirin mixture) and other ingredients (such as raw or cooked fish or seafood with herbs, fruit or vegetables) are rolled inside a thin piece of nori, a type of seaweed.
Uramaki (Inside Out Sushi Roll)
If you've ever had a California roll, you've had uramaki. This is sushi where the nori (seaweed) and the ingredients are inside the roll, and the sushi rice is on the outside of the roll. This kind of sushi was created to make sushi more appealing to Americans, who did not want to see the seaweed on the outside of their sushi rolls.
O-Nigiri Sushi
This sushi is made from balls of rice (instead of rolls) that are stuffed with various ingredients.
Kansai-Style Sushi
Sushi made Kansai-style is not rolled in nori. It can be served as a loose salad of sushi rice and ingredients (bara-zushi) or pressed into a mold (oshi-zushi). It can be presented as a layer of sushi rice that is topped with cooked or raw fish or seafood (chirashi-zushi), or the rice and ingredients may be tucked into a pouch made of deep-fried tofu (inari-zushi). All of these types are not as common in the United States, but are quite popular in Japan.
Kanto-Style Sushi
This kind of sushi focuses on toppings and is more popular in Japan than in Western countries. The toppings can be as unique as Gunkan-maki, where a strip of nori surrounds a bar of pressed sushi rice and the rice is topped with a layer of fish eggs, or as interesting as Nigiri-zushi, where a ball of rice is simply covered by a layer of raw fish or seafood.
 | Sushi is a versatile Japanese food that can be produced in home kitchens. Sushi is becoming popular in the United States as Americans learn more about the process and experience the simplicity and tastiness of this beautiful rice dish. |
 | With a good sushi rolls recipe, you won't have to overpay for a night out at the sushi bar, and you'll impress dinner-party guests. If you've wanted to prepare sushi at home but have been intimidated by the prospect, take heart: It's not really that hard to do. |
 | While sake is referred to as rice wine, it is, in fact, closer to a beer than a wine. However, the process of tasting sake is similar to that of tasting wines. |
 | Rocks, salt, rice and raw fish. More than a millennia ago, in Southeast Asia, those were the ingredients for making sushi. Today's sushi chefs are limited only by their imaginations. The term sushi actually refers to the sticky rice used in creating the savory and healthy snacks, and in the beginning the rice was thrown away. |
 | The first time I tried sushi, was in Hollywood California in 1986. It was in a sushi bar right off of Sunset Strip. A friend and I went in and immediately met this seemingly wealthy real estate mogul. |
