Otsukuri and Sashimi are the same things or different things?
A dish of sliced fresh raw fish “Sashimi (刺身)” is one of the essential things in Japanese cuisine.
For example, when you have the traditional course dinner called “Kaiseki Ryori (会席料理)” at a traditional Japanese restaurant, the menu usually includes a plate of Sashimi.
Because Sashimi is one of the basic menus of Kaiseki Ryori called “Ichiju-Sansai (一汁三菜: one soup and three side dishes)” where the sliced fish is also called “Otsukuri (お造り)”.
But in the first place, Otsukuri and Sashimi are the same things?
Otsukuri vs. Sashimi
To get to the point, Otsukuri and Sashimi basically refer to the same thing: edible fresh raw fish slices.
Whether we use the word, Otsukuri or Sashimi, varies depending on the place, the region, or the person.
The term Otsukuri has its roots in the Kansai region around Osaka, where a sliced raw fish plate tends to be called Otsukuri. Meanwhile, the word Sashimi originated in the Kanto region around Tokyo.
Thus, Otsukuri and Sashimi are essentially the same things. But according to Gurunavi, in modern times, they have specific meanings and tendencies as follows.
Sashimi (刺身)
In addition to fresh fish slices, the word Sashimi can also refer to sliced raw meat, such as beef and horse, and other sliced food like Konnyaku.
In terms of decoration, in general, the Sashimi plate isn’t showy.
Otsukuri (お造り)
In contrast, Otsukuri tends to be decorated in a fancy colorful manner with things like a fish’s head and tail, a garnish of daikon radish, flowers, and edible green leaves.
What is more, a touch of ingenuity is sometimes added to the raw fish slices.
