【Reading】じょろうすし

【English Name】Joro-sushi

Joro-zushi is a sushi-trade term referring to a nigiri in which the neta (sushi topping) is too large relative to the shari (rice), so that it overhangs to the left and right with a draped appearance.

Joro means a courtesan, and the name is said to be likened to the disarrayed garments of a courtesan. In the tradition of Edomae sushi, a nigiri with well-balanced sizes of shari and neta is considered beautiful, and a state in which only the neta stands out and droops down has been regarded as lacking refinement.

On the other hand, in modern times there are also shops that, billing it as deka-neta (giant topping), deliberately make a nigiri topped with an oversized neta their signature. As a serving style aimed at volume-oriented consumers, it has gained a certain degree of support.

A sushi artisan's skill is also displayed in the point of adjusting the cutting and thickness of the neta to balance with the shari. The devices of cutting and shaping to avoid becoming joro-zushi can be said to be one of the basic techniques in nigiri sushi.