【Reading】しのぎ

【English Name】Oshinogi

Shinogi (oshinogi) is a Japanese culinary term referring to a small light dish served in a kaiseki cuisine course. Its etymology is "to stave off hunger" (kufuku o shinogu), and it plays the role of satisfying a slight appetite before full-fledged dishes continue.

In a kaiseki menu, it is generally served as the second item following the sakizuke (appetizer). Representative examples include one or two bite-sized pieces of nigiri sushi, a small amount of cha-soba or udon, meshimushi (steamed rice), or sekihan (red-bean rice); dishes centered on carbohydrates that are filling are chosen. Seasonal vegetables or tubers are sometimes added.

Originally it is said to have been used with the same meaning as "tenshin" in tea kaiseki, served to avoid savoring tea on an empty stomach. In modern kaiseki cuisine, it also serves to ease the burden on the stomach from drinking alcohol early in the meal.

Even in the omakase courses of high-end sushi restaurants, a structure of inserting shinogi between the appetizers and the nigiri can be seen, and a small dish concentrating the chef's skill and sense of the season may be served.