As children, we were taught to hold a fork and spoon in our hands. Later they began to get used to using a knife. But very few Russian-speaking children were taught by their parents how to use chopsticks for sushi. However, the need for such a skill may arise completely unexpectedly. Someone is invited to a sushi restaurant, while someone is going on a business trip to one of the Asian countries.
The size of the bowls matters
Use the sticks that suit you best. Just as each person needs their own clothing size, the size and shape of hashi (sushi sticks) is also best selected individually. Previously, chopstick length was calculated based on the average height and palm size of men and women during the Edo period (1603-1867). Now people have become somewhat larger than then, and, accordingly, have changed standard sizes hashi.
How to choose sticks of your size? Their usual length is one and a half times longer than the chitoate - the length of the imaginary hypotenuse formed when you fold the large and index fingers at right angles. The same value is used when determining where to take the sticks with your hand: for this, the distance of the chitoat is counted from the thin ends.
Instructions for using hashi sticks
- The hand should be relaxed, the thumb facing toward you, the index and middle finger slightly extended forward.
- First, take one stick (at a distance of one third from the upper end) between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. Hold the stick with the thumb and ring fingers so that the index, middle and thumb form a ring.
- Take the second stick, placing it parallel to the first, at a distance of 15mm. When the middle finger straightens, the sticks move apart.
- They bring the sticks together, bending the index finger, and pinch with the tips what they want to put into the mouth. In addition, if the piece is too large, you can use chopsticks to separate it, but only very carefully.
In order to start using sushi chopsticks professionally, you will need a little practice.
In this video you can see how to use sushi chopsticks correctly:
Chopsticks are a traditional cutlery for eastern countries such as China and Japan. With their help, Asians eat everything: sushi, rolls, rice and even liquid soups. At first glance, it may seem that learning to hold special chopsticks correctly is quite difficult, but basic movements with chopsticks can be quickly mastered even by little ones. The spread of Japanese, Chinese and Thai cuisine beyond the borders of their countries simply obliges us to learn to follow the traditional ritual associated with eating oriental food. Chopsticks are not just a cutlery; they create an inimitable flavor at the table.
Most often, disposable chopsticks made of wood or bamboo, fastened at one end, are served at the table. To break them in two, lower them closer to your knees so as not to accidentally touch the dishes, and pull one of the sticks in a motion reminiscent of how you would open a fan.
Themed celebration in Japanese style it's about to start. The tables are laden with exquisite oriental dishes. But instead of traditional forks, the table is set with wonderful chopsticks. This is an integral oriental utensil for eating, which the Japanese call hashi, and the Chinese call kuaizi.
Its centuries-old history, delicate etiquette and amazing design require certain skills to use. To feel comfortable in restaurants serving Japanese cuisine or visiting friends who are fond of sushi, you should learn how to use this cutlery correctly.
Khasi: history and traditions
Historical chronicles and archaeological research have established that China is considered the birthplace of chopsticks. According to legend, such cutlery appeared during the reign of the Shang approximately 3 thousand years ago. This method of eating food was invented by the historical ancestor Yu, who showed considerable ingenuity and pulled out a piece of meat from a boiling cauldron with two broken branches. Since this prevented him from scalding his fingers with boiling water, his experience was quickly passed on to other people.
The Hashi entered Japanese culture during the Bronze Age. At first they were used only at the imperial court, but after centuries the Khasis became available to the lower strata of society. They are so ingrained in the Japanese mentality that over time they turned from cutlery into a sacred symbol.
What types of sushi chopsticks are there?
Sushi sticks in their original form were made of wood and looked like a split bamboo trunk, which on one side had two points, and on the other remained solid. The cross section of the hasi could be round or square, and the sharp end could be conical or pyramidal.
In the field Catering Mostly disposable chopsticks (waribashi) are used. They resemble a half-sawn cylindrical piece of wood or plastic that needs to be broken before eating. This is considered a sign that no one has ever eaten with chopsticks. They are served in restaurants and packaged in sterile bags with the establishment's logo.
The modern variety of reusable chopsticks (nuribashi) allows you to choose chopsticks for every taste and color. They are manufactured different forms and sizes, with colorful designs or hieroglyphs, and sometimes they are even inlaid precious stones. This device is served on a hasioki stand.
Chopsticks are made from the following materials:
- Wood species (bamboo, maple, sandalwood, cypress, plum).
- Precious metals (silver, gold, steel).
- Exotic raw materials (ivory, deer horns, crystal).
- Plastic.
How should you hold sushi chopsticks?
To learn how to deftly manipulate sushi chopsticks, you need to hold them correctly between your fingers:
- It is necessary to make a basis for fixing the sticks. To do this, you need to press your little finger and ring finger and bend them towards the middle of your palm. The middle finger paired with the index finger should lean forward a little.
- The thick end of the lower hashi should be placed in the hole between the thumb and index finger. The tip of the hashi should rest on the nail phalanx of the middle finger.
- Now the thick end of the upper hisi needs to be placed on the index finger, and its position should be fixed with the bun of the thumb. A pencil holds about the same way.
During the meal, the lower stick should remain fixed, and all manipulations should be carried out with the upper stick. To grab food, you need to straighten your little finger and ring finger, spread your chopsticks, grab a piece of food, and then bend your fingers again and bring the food to your mouth.
Advice! If you use special sticks with a holder (baby sticks or clothespin sticks), you need to manipulate them like tweezers, adjusting the clamping process with your middle finger.
It will take some time to achieve positive results, so you can practice a little at home by catching small objects with chopsticks, such as beans or corn. Over time, your fingers will become dexterous and the hashi control process will become automatic.
A few etiquette rules
Over the course of a couple of thousand years, the ritual of eating with chopsticks has acquired many traditions, rules and prohibitions. Of course, different nationalities have their own ethnic customs, but in general they have many similarities.
The main principle of using hashi is unquestioning respect for this sacred instrument.
Chopsticks are only allowed to pick up, place or stir food, and all other manipulations are considered notes of bad taste. Therefore, if you are planning to visit eastern countries or often visit elite Japanese restaurants, you need to know some features of the culture of using hashi chopsticks:
- It is forbidden to prick food on the tip of chopsticks or stick them into a plate with a dish.
- It is unacceptable to fiddle with chopsticks in the dishes in search of a more appetizing piece.
- To attract the attention of service personnel, it is prohibited to knock on the dishes with chopsticks.
- If you take a portioned piece with chopsticks, it must definitely get into your mouth. It is indecent to put food back on the plate.
- Don't wave your hashi, lick it, or point it in anyone's direction.
- Do not place chopsticks in a vertical position. This is reminiscent of the ritual of placing scented candles for the deceased.
- The strictest taboo is considered to be transferring food from one plate to another with chopsticks. In Japan, there is a ritual of placing the bones of a cremated body with chopsticks into a funeral urn.
- Hashi clenched in a fist is considered a threat signal.
- One third of the population uses chopsticks for sushi as their main cutlery, another third prefer forks and spoons, while the rest prefer to eat with their hands.
- In Japan, hashi is considered the best gift for any celebration. They are given to newlyweds as a symbol of longevity, health and good luck.
- On the hundredth day after birth, babies are presented with their first chopsticks, which they begin to eat from the age of one.
- Chopsticks are considered a purely personal item, so no Japanese person who respects tradition will allow himself to eat with someone else’s chopsticks.
- The unique mental abilities of the Japanese and Chinese are attributed to highly developed hand motor skills, which are improved through the use of hashi from an early age.
- For eating food, only sushi chopsticks are used in four countries of the world: China, Japan, as well as Korea and Vietnam.
- The Chinese use about 40 billion pairs of Waribashi every year.
- In the 17th century, silver sticks were made to detect poison in food. At that time, arsenic was used as a poison, upon contact with which the silver changed color.
- In Korea, they use metal chopsticks for sushi.
Even if you are not a fan of sushi, learning how to eat with sushi chopsticks will still be a good idea. This is quite easy to do, you just need to get the hang of it a little. After all, you can be invited to a Japanese-style lunch at any time. Moreover, in the process of cognition new culture you will learn a lot of interesting things and have fun.
The ability to use chopsticks is easily learned in childhood, as is the ability to study foreign language and bicycle riding skills. But if you show a little persistence, the Chinese national cutlery will quickly yield to the hands of an adult.
How to properly hold chopsticks in your hand
The secret to the hashi's stability is that one of them should be held tightly in the right hand. Even left-handed people usually use their right hand, because in this case the stationary stick will be on the back side, and the pressing stick will be on the inside. It makes it easier to grab food.
Take one stick in right hand and secure it between the bases of your thumb and index finger. The fold of skin that forms when folded will help the hashi not slip if your hand gets sweaty. The opposite tapered side should be kept on the ring finger.
Grasp the fixed hashi with your thumb. Its phalanx lies on a stick, while the upper joint should move freely up and down. Using the tip of your middle finger, you can adjust the position of the cutlery on your ring finger.
Clamp the second stick between the tips of the index and thumb. If you hold the first stationary hashi correctly, you can get it right the first time. To pick up a piece of food, you need to squeeze it between a stationary and bending hashi.
Now you can safely order sushi at home inexpensively in Moscow with free delivery and savor your favorite dish in an authentic way - with chopsticks.
Useful tips for those who want to learn how to eat using Chinese cutlery
Your palm should be free, no need to apply extra effort. Initially, you will instinctively grip the sticks firmly, but with practice you will learn to barely feel them. A small life hack: if your palms sweat during the warm season, use wooden sticks, not plastic ones. They slip less.
Etiquette rules state that you cannot tear or pierce food with chopsticks. To do this, use a knife and fork. Speaking of rules, in Japan and China you can eat sushi with your hands without a twinge of conscience. Traditionally, chopsticks were only used for eating rice. Therefore, if you do not learn how to drive a hasi, you have a way out.
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Sushi chopsticks are considered one of the symbols of the land of the rising sun. Most Japanese dishes are eaten with this “cutlery.” Hashi, as chopsticks are called, are served along with sushi and rolls even in ordinary Japanese cuisine cafes. What can we say about ranked restaurants? But you won’t be able to use them right away. In order not to find yourself in a difficult situation, let's master hashi.
How did chopsticks appear?
History of modern sushi chopsticks started in China. According to legend, Emperor Yu, using wood chips that were at hand, extracted a fragrant piece of meat from a bubbling cauldron. And off we go. They used two chopsticks to pick up food from the bowls in which it was cooked, and then used them to eat. Somewhere in the 13th century, tableware came to Asian countries: Japan, Vietnam, Korea, but even today they are widely considered Chinese.
The hashi we know appeared in Japan around 300 AD. Back then, bamboo chips split in two were used by the nobility. Commoners ate food with their hands. By 700, the custom of eating with chopsticks had spread to the entire population of Japan.
Modern types of khasi
Nuribashi - reusable sushi chopsticks and eating other foods. A Japanese invention with a square or round cross-section with a pyramidal point. They are made of wood, plastic, metal, bone. Sometimes nuribashi are decorated with ornaments and mother-of-pearl inserts.
Ceremonial Khasi. They are served festive tables and tea ceremonies.
Waribashi are disposable cutlery made from bamboo or plastic. The invention of Japanese "catering". Issued in sealed packaging to customers of cafes and Asian restaurants. The doors are fastened at the top - this is a sure sign that they have not been used.
Learning to hold and use hashi
It is believed that about 3-3.5 million people use forks. But the same amount of the population is perfectly controlled by sticks. This means that anyone can do the task. You just need to understand the principles of how to properly hold Chinese sushi chopsticks.
One of the Khasi gates plays a holding role.
- The whole brush is soft and not tense. The fingers are gathered together, including the little finger that always points to the side. You shouldn’t put a death grip on the hasi, as if they are going to be taken away.
- Hand position. The little finger and ring finger are gently pressed and slightly bent. They support the hasi, which at the same time is located between the thumb and forefinger. The retention point is located 1/3 of the upper thickening at the tip of the valve.
- When moving the hand with food, the sticks are fixed motionless on the ring finger.
The second sushi stick acts as a food grabber. You can hold it in two ways.
- Imagine that you have a ballpoint pen in your hands. Holding occurs with a pinch of the middle, thumb and index fingers.
- Second scheme. The upper third rests on the index finger, while at the same time the center of the cross is held by the thumb and index finger.
These methods provide easy and free movement device and at the same time do not allow it to slip out of your hand.
How to take food from a plate
Masterly use Chinese sushi chopsticks It won’t work right away, since it’s involved fine motor skills. But the European doesn’t have it better condition. So let's practice:
- in the upper part of the hasi there is a free distance of 1.5-2 cm. This ensures good movement movement;
- To capture food, only the lower ends are closed. At the same time, according to etiquette, you cannot touch the plate, much less knock on it.
The scheme for working with sushi chopsticks is simple. To grab the roll from the plate, the hashi flaps are pulled apart and connected. To do this, bend and straighten the thumb and index fingers. That's the whole secret.
About table etiquette using hashi
Hashi food is not just lunch or dinner. This is a special ceremony, subject to strict rules. And if you're on dinner party, a Japanese-style business meeting or a high-status Asian restaurant, you will have to follow etiquette.
- If the rolls are served on a common plate, they are transferred to your plate with chopsticks (never with your hands). Then, taking the roll into sticks, they are turned sideways, dipped in sauce dressing and eaten. At the same time, the bowl of sauce remains suspended. It is not allowed to lean toward the plate “like a dog.”
- Rolls and sushi are eaten whole. Biting off rolls is considered the height of indecency. Large rolls are divided on a plate and then put into the mouth one piece at a time.
- It is forbidden with chopsticks dig, picking up delicious sushi. Food is taken from above. The best bad manners is to prick the rolls with a fold. A decent restaurant will pay you for this ahead of time.
- It is prohibited to move serving items with chopsticks, tap them on the tabletop to attract waiters, or point at something with their chopsticks.
These days there is a relaxation for men. They are allowed to take the rolls with their hands, which is completely prohibited for women. If the company is mixed, then the men, out of respect for the fairer half, use roll sticks.
Despite the fact that most of us prefer to order huge sets delivered directly to our homes, it’s worth at least occasionally looking into restaurants of Pan-Asian cuisine, where Japanese dishes are served according to all the rules, and you can become imbued with oriental traditions and thoroughly taste the unique delicacies of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Sushi and rolls require a special approach: we tell you how to eat traditional Japanese cuisine correctly, observing etiquette.
Place the sushi on its side
This way, one stick will hold the fish and the other will hold the rice, and you will keep your delicacy safe and sound. When dipping sushi in soy sauce, do so only on the “fish” side. For a richer taste, soak the sushi in the sauce for a couple of seconds.
Sticks or utensils?
By the way, is it really necessary to eat sushi and rolls exclusively with chopsticks? After all, not every sushi fan can adapt to them - operating devices is much more familiar to a Russian person. Unfortunately, eating sushi with a fork is not only inconvenient, but is also considered bad manners. The situation can be resolved very simply, and best option Japanese culture itself tells us.
You can eat rolls, sushi and sashimi simply with your hands. It’s not for nothing that before a meal, guests are brought a special hot towel (oshibori) for hygienic purposes. By the way, in good form After use, it is considered to carefully roll it into a tube and place it on a stand - exactly the same as when serving.
Be careful with soy sauce
Soy sauce is an invariable attribute of a sushi meal, but in reality it is not required as much as we used to think.
Although soy sauce adds a richness to Japanese dishes, juicy taste, most often it simply “overwhelms” the taste of fresh fish, seafood and rice, making us think that all rolls taste the same.
Dip only the top (“fish”) part of the rolls or sushi into the sauce. If you are organizing a sushi party yourself, pour soy sauce into the plate not to the top, but to the very bottom. You'll see, it will be much more convenient.
Why is ginger needed?
Strictly speaking, pickled ginger in Japanese cuisine is used for one single purpose: to “cleanse” our taste perception before each new dish and “refresh” our taste buds.
But if you're used to abuse soy sauce, ginger is a great product to stop this habit that all sushi lovers understand. Instead of soaking each roll entirely, try placing a piece of ginger on each roll after dipping it in the sauce.
Rules of etiquette
During a pause in the meal, special chopsticks (hashi) are placed on a special stand (hashioki). They are never used to prick food, they are never stuck directly into dishes, and they are not used to pass food to each other. If you decide to take sushi from a large shared platter, do it with the thick side of the chopsticks.
And, of course, it is not customary to wave chopsticks and use them in order to attract the attention of a neighbor or a waiter: it looks as impolite as if you poked your interlocutor with a fork or waved cutlery, calling on restaurant staff to bring you a menu.
In fact, in numerous Japanese restaurants, visitors are treated loyally; they are allowed to eat with both chopsticks and utensils, and naturally, no one will scold you for eating sushi incorrectly.
But if life brings you together with the Japanese at the same table, these five basic rules are the minimum that are important to follow. In fact, everything is much more complicated, and if you are seriously interested in Japanese traditions, we refer you to where INMYROOM FOOD sorted out all the smallest subtleties of Asian cuisine.