【Reading】がり

【English Name】Pickled ginger

Gari, an indispensable supporting player to sushi, refers to the accompaniment made by pickling ginger in sweet vinegar.

To make it, the salt-cured rhizome of ginger is first sliced into thin pieces, the salt content is reduced to 3–4%, and then it is soaked in seasoned vinegar to absorb flavor. Its appeal lies in the coexistence of a crisp texture with a moderate pungency, sourness, and sweetness.

It excels at counteracting the fishy odor of seafood, and by eating a small amount each time one finishes a piece, the palate is refreshed, allowing the next topping to be tasted more vividly. Note that dipping gari in soy sauce and placing it on sushi is not a usual practice.

When made from new ginger, it naturally takes on a pinkish hue in reaction to the vinegar. With aged ginger, on the other hand, this coloration scarcely occurs. The type called "white gari" is a product pretreated with sodium hyposulfite.

Gingerol, the pungent component, has the power to aid the stomach and promote perspiration, and can also be expected to bring warmth to a body that tends to become chilled from raw fish.