The preparation and consumption of sushi is highly ritualistic. Understanding the finer points of this may be unattainable for Westerners, but some basic principles should be observed.

Pour soy sauce into your saucer and mix in some wasabi. It is polite to pour your dining companions' sauce too. Dip sashimi (sliced raw fish on its own) into the sauce with your chopsticks and eat.

Sushi rolls and nigiri (blocks of rice with fish on top) should be eaten whole; attempting to bite in two can lead to a scattering of debris across the table.

It is not obligatory to use chopsticks when eating sushi, but it is always best to use them in formal company. When dinner is trundling past on a conveyor belt, ensure that you only take what you plan to eat.

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