I always thought Japanese pickled ginger was just meant to be eaten with sushi. I’d mix it into my soy sauce, put a bit on my sushi, dip, and enjoy.
Turns out, it’s actually for cleansing the palate between different sushi. Should I keep eating it my way? im a bit ashamed
by Kooky-Beautiful1923
45 Comments
I think you should eat it however you like it! I enjoy it with some soy sauce and wasabi 🙂
Do what you want. You’re paying for it.
I probably wouldn’t put ginger on my sushi at a very fancy sushi place, particularly in Japan, to avoid potentially offending the chef, but otherwise if you like ginger on your sushi then do what you like
You can eat it any way you want but that isn’t how Japanese people eat it.
My wife’s father had a sushi restaurant in Saitama near Tokyo. He would get mad if if say you do that because he was a major grump. But any other sushi chef would just ignore you.
It’s like my wife always says. Eat it however it makes you happy.
No, you should stop immediately and stop embarrassing yourself.
I put it on/in everything especially salads, burgers, etc.
Eat it all ways.
Always.
I think you should at least try it out without the ginger. Obviously do what you want, but trying it without the ginger could unlock some unrealized flavours that used to be covered up by the taste of the ginger. Maybe you’ll find you like it more without!
I grew up putting a bunch of pickled ginger on every bite of sushi and didn’t want to believe the person who told me it was supposed to be for pallet cleansing between bites. Now I still eat just as much of it, but can’t bring myself to put it *on* my sushi anymore.
On one hand, you can eat it however you like. On the other hand, it’s a palate cleanser, and will stop you from tasting the sushi the way it was intended to be eaten. I use it exclusively as a palate cleanser but hey, you’re the boss of your sauce
Eat food how you enjoy it! As long as you are respectful of the culture the food originated from there’s no wrong way to eat!
It’s usually used as a palate cleanser but the usage isn’t as strict as some people might say. One of my favourite drinks is a Gali Sour which is a combination of pickled ginger and alcohol. [https://tanoshiiosake.jp/2852](https://tanoshiiosake.jp/2852)
Yes, the gari is meant as a palate cleanser. But my Japanese boyfriend also liked to pile it on in somewhat embarrassing amounts when we went out to eat (it’s on the table at restaurants other than just sushi restaurants in Japan). He was restrained at fancy restaurants, less so at more casual places.
Individual chefs may get mad if you eat it in a way they don’t want you to eat it. But Japanese people also eat food in ways that please them as individuals. Follow stricter etiquette if you’re at a fancy restaurant (as you probably do regardless of cuisine), and follow your desires in more casual places, and certainly in your own home.
There are, shockingly, even Japanese people who don’t like natto or sushi.
That’s how I eat grocery store sushi, but I wouldn’t eat good sushi with a bunch of pickled ginger heaped on top.
At an actual restaurant, I use it as a palate cleanser. If I’m eating a grocery store sushi roll, I mix the ginger up in the soy sauce and wasabi and put it right on the sushi.
I like it whenever, mostly when I’m polishing off some remaining rolls to add more acid / flavor
eat it either way. it tastes good with rice too! i treat it like kim chi or daikon. good stand alone or with other food
Do whatever you want all the time.
Doesn’t matter. It’s food. Do what you want.
Unless you’re getting omakase, then you do what the chef says.
I eat it the same way you do, it’s delicious. Don’t let anyone tell you differently
While I understand “doing what you want” since this mostly-American sub is used to that with food. And you have the freedom to do that…but this is Japanese food. At least for standard nigiri, the ginger is a palate cleanser. There are correct ways and incorrect ways to eat Japanese food. End of story. At some nice places in Japan, you can get scolded for eating the wrong way. That’s just how the culture is.
Personally, it doesn’t make sense to eat the ginger with the sushi. Ginger, especially pickled ginger, is very strong and overpowers whatever else you’re eating with it. You won’t taste the difference between tuna, yellowtail, nogoduro, tai, kinmedai if you top it with ginger. You might as well eat rice with firm tofu or jackfruit since with ginger, it just becomes a textural exercise.
i read its not for cleansing the palate
its used to apply the tare (soya sauce) to the sushi before eating
What? I always naturally ate it in between sushi, but I thought it was to help digest the raw fish 😅 in case anyone didn’t know, ginger helps with digestion
It’s makes for an over powering bite of sushi and mutes the taste of the fish and rice for sure. Try it as a palate cleanser once or twice and focus on the sushi.
I know lots of people who put ginger on their sushi I have no idea how they like that, that shit completely overpowers the taste and makes everything taste like ginger.
You put the ginger in the soy sauce?! Huh.
Does the exact opposite of cleansing my palate so honestly you do you.
My mouth watered looking at this picture.
You do you. You might refrain if you are in a fancy restaurant, but no one really cares.
There are lots of “you shouldn’t” that most Japanese people do not care about. My 84 year old Japanese mother will occasionally put wasabi in with her soy sauce and mix it up. I dare you to tell her she is not allowed to do that.
Eat what you enjoy. You know it’s intended purpose, but how you use it is up to you. It’s your ginger/sushi
Now that you know what it’s meant for and how to eat it, you can eat it as intended or use it as your garnish. You do you. Know the rules before you can break em
With all the extra stuff people put on sushi, I wouldn’t even be concerned unless it’s a high end restaurant.
I’m Japanese (Okinawan) and sometimes I’ll pile pickled ginger on my sushi, sometimes I eat it in between bites as intended, and sometimes I’ll just eat pickled ginger by itself. It’s not that serious.
Even if a Japanese person explains the correct way to eat, foreigners will not listen, so I think it is a waste of time to correct them, is it not?
It was a long time before I realized this as well lol
When someone realizes they’re eating a food “wrong”, people are often quick to reassure you that it’s your food and you can eat it however you like. And, sure. I get that.
But I would strongly suggest that you give the regular way of eating sushi a real try first. In sushi, the star of the food is the fish. If you add pickled ginger you just can’t taste the fish properly. In a way you’re depriving yourself of becoming acquainted with the full experience.
And if it’s at a high end place you genuinely might upset the chef. They work really hard to bring you the highest quality fish, with the perfect amount of seasoned rice and to make everything absolutely spot on. You can’t really be adding ginger to the sushi in a place like that anymore than you could add ketchup to it. These places give you a very carefully curated experience, so you should just accept it however they give it to you.
Again, it’s your food, so eat it however you like, but you should definitely try doing it the regular way too.
Definitely try eating sushi on its own (with a light dab of soy sauce and wasabi ofc). Pickled ginger has a very strong flavor and will overwhelm the natural subtleties of the fish.
Though at the end of the day, you do you.
[That’s right](https://youtu.be/lF46Cel3EUo?feature=shared)
Do what makes you happy.
I did the saaaame thing. My first experience with sushi was premade California rolls in those plastic trays. There was only one type of sushi in the box and it still came with pickled ginger, so I don’t think even the people making these sets knew what the ginger is for. I didn’t learn the truth til well into my adulthood. 🤭
Agreeing with those saying you should do as you like in private or casual settings, and just be mindful of etiquette in fancier settings.
As for me, I haven’t touched premade sushi since trying proper fare in a restaurant, but premade sushi kinda needs the added flavour since it’s so bland!
Horrific.
This is the first time I’ve even learned about the “correct” way to eat ginger with sushi
Wow. I knew that without knowing anything about Japanese food. 😆
No rules!! I chuck it in everything lol