Editing Sashimi (section)

== Origin ==
[[File:Sashimi.jpg|thumb|Assorted ''sashimi'': [[Tuna as food|tuna]], [[cuttlefish]], and [[seabream]]]]
The word ''sashimi'' means 'pierced body', i.e., "[[wikt:刺身|刺身]]" = ''sashimi'', where [[wikt:刺|刺]] [[wikt:し|し]] = ''sashi'' (pierced, stuck) and [[wikt:身|身]] = ''mi'' (body, meat). This word dates from the [[Muromachi period]] (1336-1573){{citation needed|date=November 2024}} and there are multiple theories as to its etymology:

The term was possibly coined when the word "[[wikt:切る|切る]]" = ''kiru'' (cut), the culinary step, was considered too inauspicious to be used by anyone other than a [[samurai]]. This word may derive from the culinary practice of sticking the fish's tail and fin to the slices for the purpose of identifying the fish being eaten.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Another possibility for the name is the traditional method of harvesting. "''Sashimi''-grade" fish is caught by individual handline. As soon as the fish is landed, its brain is pierced with a sharp spike, and it is placed in slurried ice. This spiking is called the [[ikejime]] process, and the instant death means that the fish's flesh contains a minimal amount of [[lactic acid]]. This means that the fish will keep fresh on ice for about ten days, without turning white or otherwise degrading.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Many non-Japanese use the terms ''sashimi'' and ''[[sushi]]'' interchangeably, but the two dishes are distinct and separate. Sushi refers to any dish made with vinegared rice. While raw fish is one traditional sushi ingredient, many sushi dishes contain seafood that has been cooked, and others have no seafood at all, including ingredients like seaweed, vegetables, omelets, and fried tofu.<ref name="RD">{{cite magazine |last1=Phillips |first1=Hedy |date=18 February 2022 |title=What Is Sashimi, Exactly? |url=https://www.rd.com/article/what-is-sashimi/ |magazine=[[Reader's Digest]] |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref> ''Sashimi,'' by contrast, is always served on its own.<ref name="pogogi">{{cite web |title=What is the difference between Sushi vs Sashimi |url=https://pogogi.com/what-difference-between-sushi-vs-sashimi |website=Pogogi |access-date=17 May 2019 |language=en |date=20 February 2014}}</ref> Although Japan has long had the custom of eating fish raw, the idea of serving it as a beautifully arranged dish is thought to have come from China, probably around the [[Kamakura period]] (1185&ndash;1333). An early cookbook in Japanese, written in 1489, directs that the raw flesh should be sliced and mixed with vinegar and seasonings such as salt and herbs.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gordenker |first=Alice |date=20 November 2022 |title=Your Informed Guide to Sashimi Garnishes: What are they and should you eat them? |url=https://www.japanesefoodguide.com/sashimi-garnishes-tsuma/ |access-date=27 November 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

An early western description of sashimi comes from a letter written by the future [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]], [[Sir Arthur Wilson, 3rd Baronet|Sir Arthur Wilson]] of the [[Royal Navy]], who was assigned to the British naval mission to Japan in the late 1860s: "It is a peculiar sort of fish, which they cut in very thin slices and serve up with some sort of sauce over it. It is considered a great delicacy. I have tried it and did not find it bad, but the idea is not nice."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bradford |first=Sir Edward Eden |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNNpAAAAMAAJ&dq=Life+of+Admiral+of+the+Fleet+Sir+Arthur+Knyvet+Wilson,+Bart.,+V.C.,+G.C.B.,+O.M.,+G.C.V.O.&pg=PA26 |title=Life of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Knyvet Wilson, Bart., V.C., G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O. |date=1923 |publisher=J. Murray |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref>