A sushi machine or sushi robot is a mechanical device that automatically creates various styles of

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

. Several are electrically powered. Some sushi machines produce mounds of

sushi rice is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

for creating

nigiri is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

. This style of sushi machine may use a hopper that is filled with sushi rice, from where the rice is fed into the machine and the sushi rice mounds are formed and then ejected. After the rice mounds are ejected,

sashimi is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. "刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stuck) ...

and other ingredients are then manually placed atop them. Some sushi machines can produce sushi rolls, whereby the machine automatically flattens rice into sheets, adds various ingredients such as sashimi,

nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezonesis'' and '' P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi or '' ...

(edible seaweed) and vegetables, rolls them up and then slices the rolls into separate pieces. Some roll machines are adjustable to change settings for roll length and thickness. Sushi restaurants and food service operations may use sushi machines to reduce labor costs. Sushi prepared with electric sushi machines may be priced lower at retail stores and outlets compared to that prepared solely by humans. Some sushi machines are manually operated and function without the use of electricity. File:Sushi machine2.jpg, Ingredients in a manually operated sushi roll machine File:Sushi machine1.jpg, Nori being wrapped around the roll

Manufacturers

An electric-powered sushi machine manufactured by Suzumo named Sushibot can produce up to 3,600 mounds of sushi rice per hour. Another Suzumo sushi machine produces up to 400 sushi rice mounds per hour. Suzumo is Japan's largest manufacturer of sushi machines, and the company has claimed to have invented the sushi machine in 1981. Suzumo held a market share of over 60% in the sushi machine category in April 2013. Additional manufacturers of sushi machines includ
Autec
Robotic Sushi and Taiko Enterprises, both of which produce several models. Robotic Sushi manufactures several industrial-sized and tabletop-style sushi machines, and one of Taiko Enterprises' models is designed to emulate sushi as prepared by humans. Autec, a subsidiary of audio equipment manufacturer

Audio-Technica (stylized as audio-technica) is a Japanese company that designs and manufactures professional microphones, headphones, turntables, phonographic magnetic cartridges, and other audio equipment. Company history Audio-Technica was established ...

, is one of the largest companies in this field, and holds the second-highest market share in “shari-tama” (rice ball) rolling machines. They manufacture several models of sushi machines for commercial use. In 2014, Autec launched a new model that automatically produces ''shari'', the style of rice prepared specifically for sushi. Sushi Machines is a company in Yorkshire, England, that manufactures manually operated sushi machines.

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite web , last=Hernandez , first=Daniela , title=SushiBot Rolls Out 3,600 Pieces per Hour , website=

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

, date=April 6, 2012 , url=https://www.wired.com/2012/04/sushibot/ , accessdate=October 10, 2015 {{cite web , last=Fujimura , first=Naoko , last2=Amano , first2=Takashi , title=Sushi machine maker upbeat about yen's fall, high overseas demand , website=

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

, date=April 6, 2013 , url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/06/business/corporate-business/yen-fall-high-demand-abroad-excite-sushi-machine-maker/ , accessdate=October 10, 2015 {{cite web , title=Sushi boss on a roll as Barnsley business booms , website=

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

, date=October 24, 2013 , url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/sushi-boss-on-a-roll-as-barnsley-business-booms-1-6177855 , accessdate=October 11, 2015 {{cite web , url=http://www.foodservicenews.com.br/maquina-para-sushi-e-pratos-japoneses-ganham-espaco/ , title=Máquina para sushi e pratos japoneses ganham espaço , publisher=Food Service News , date=November 7, 2014 , accessdate=10 October 2015, language=pt {{cite web , url=https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-32916392/sushi-secret-robot-rice-patters-restaurants-expand , title=Sushi Secret: Robot Rice Patters Restaurants Expand with the Help of Fast Machines , publisher=

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-De ...

, date=1995 , accessdate=10 October 2015 , author=Louie, Elaine {{paywall Sushi Food technology

Manufacturers

See also

References