The way you eat a dish, like the preparation method, has a big impact on your entire eating experience. The same goes for sushi, of course! How do you eat your sushi? With extra lots of wasabi, with chopsticks, soaked in soy sauce? Do you perhaps mix the wasabi and soy sauce into a brownish-green paste or do you take apart nigiri to consequently eat rice and fish separately? People eat and experience sushi in many different ways, but how do you actually eat sushi correctly, according to Japanese tradition? And is there a certain sushi etiquette?

1 Without sticks

How do you eat sushi? We begin by telling you something that may come as a real surprise. You see, sushi is traditionally not eaten with chopsticks. By gently picking up sushi with clean hands, between thumb and middle finger, you don't mess up the perfect shape. This way you show respect for the chef's expertise. Maki is still sometimes eaten with chopsticks, because the sushi rolled tightly in seaweed is less likely to fall apart. If you are given a damp towel at the start of your meal, be sure to use it to clean your hands. So don't worry if that eating with chopsticks doesn't work out. Eating sushi with your hands is anything but rude!

2. Not in pieces

Sushi is not eaten in pieces. Eating with your hands keeps the sushi as a unit. Therefore, you should not cut your maki or nigiri into pieces. A Japanese sushi chef finds that offensive. You eat sushi in one bite. Nigiri you eat with the ingredient facing your tongue and the rice facing up.

3. Little soy sauce

Traditionally, you eat sushi with very little soy sauce. In fact, soy sauce is optional. Soaking sushi in soy sauce spoils the delicate taste of sushi. Especially when you dip sushi into your dish with the rice side up, the rice absorbs too much sauce, losing the subtle flavor. Also, don't pour too much soy sauce into your dish. Leaving soy sauce around is a very rude habit, according to Japanese people.

4. Ginger between pieces

Eat ginger in small portions, between pieces of sushi. Ginger is eaten with sushi to neutralize the taste. So wait to eat ginger until your mouth is completely empty again. That way you can fully enjoy the next piece, which may taste very different. So ginger serves to reset your taste buds, not to enhance the taste of the sushi while eating. Did you already know this sushi fact?

5. The order is important

To get the ultimate taste experience when eating sushi, the order in which you order and eat the pieces is important. Traditionally, you start with the lighter flavors and work your way up to the stronger flavors. So it's best to start sushi with a white fish. Then you move on to a silver fish. Next, order sushi with red fish and then fish with a more pronounced flavor, such as salmon. In between, feel free to choose a sushi variety with fish eggs and so on to the more oily fish, such as tuna.