You Should Never Use Chopsticks When Eating This Food

Like many of the favorite foods we love to eat in modern times, sushi is a centuries-old delicacy. With roots in 9th-century Japan, the basics of the traditional dish have changed quite a bit throughout the course of its history. According to Foodicles, the concept of sushi was initially intended as a preservation method, wrapping fermented rice around aged fish. The fish was stored this way for up to a year, with the rice offering a pleasant umami flavor and protecting the fish from unwanted bacteria and flies. It was not until the mid-1700s when nori — edible seaweed in the form of thin, crispy sheets — was invented and eventually used in sushi rolls. Today, sushi is eaten around the world and comes in a wide variety of ingredients, flavor combinations, and heat levels. It has also become more accessible and affordable over the years thanks to innovative techniques and the availability of more domestic and imported ingredients.

However, we have some shocking news for all you sushi enthusiasts. If you have been spending years perfecting your chopstick skills while enjoying this delicious course, we are sorry to report that you don't even need them. And if you have absolutely no idea how to hold chopsticks, you're in luck. Hold up! Say what?! That's right. Sushi should not involve the use of chopsticks at all, according to the pros. In fact, sushi is designed to be eaten with your hands, reports Tasting Table.

Properly indulging in sushi is, thankfully, quite a simple feat. And now that you know that you do not need to become a chopstick master, all the better! Here are some of the basic rules and regulations of eating sushi.

First, pick each piece up with your thumb and forefinger or your thumb and middle finger, whichever feels more comfortable and secure. Picking up the sushi with your fingers allows you to fully feel and appreciate the texture of the rice and helps keep the inner elements together, according to Trip Savvy. This Munchies video demonstrates the right (and wrong) way to eat sushi. When it comes to soy sauce, try and take it easy. Instead of filling the soy sauce dish up to the brim and dunking the pieces into a pool, pour a nice thin layer and dab each piece.

As far as wasabi goes, resist the temptation to mix a dollop of it into your soy sauce. Instead, spread a thin layer atop the fish's surface for an extra potently spicy kick. The fish side should make contact with the sauce instead of the rice, since rice quickly soaks up too much of the soy sauce's sodium (via Insider). Lastly, each piece should be consumed in a single bite. Don't attempt to nibble on a piece of sushi; it will inevitably fall apart, and you won't get the same taste and texture experience.

Now, go ahead. Set the chopsticks aside and eat with your hands!