Sushi rice, or shari is the foundation for all sushi dishes, yet even some sushi lovers in the West don't quite know what it is. That’s partly because many rice companies outside of Japan market their short grain white rice as "sushi rice," but it actually isn’t. In Japan, sushi rice means steamed rice that’s flavored with vinegar-based seasonings, and this vinegared rice is pretty much exclusively used for making sushi-based dishes.

Watch the video above, then head over to Just One Cookbook for a full explanation of sushi rice, as well as some more tips on how to make it at home!

Sushi rolls, to get back to basics, consist of sushi rice is wrapped in nori and rolled. Pretty simple, right? Usually this type of sushi is called makizushi or maki sushi in Japan (and Japanese restaurants!). To learn more about the many types of sushi rolls, as well as how to make them, head over to Just One Cookbook for detailed instruction and some mouth-watering photos!

One of the most basic (yet completely unique) types of sushi to know is inari sushi or inarizushi. Typical inari sushi is made of sushi rice wrapped inside seasoned, deep-fried tofu pockets called inari age. Inari sushi typically has a subtly sweet flavor, and Just One Cookbook recommends pairing it with shiso (perilla) leaves and roasted sesame seeds. Check out her full recipe below!

Once you consider yourself a real sushi connoisseur, you should probably learn about otoro sushi. Otoro is the most prized part of the tuna belly, being the fattiest and most delicious part of the fish, so soft and tender that it literally melts in your mouth. That said, premium otoro goes into some of the most expensive sushi in the world, and it's not even offered at low-end sushi restaurants. This is because less than 1 percent of the body of a tuna can be categorized as otoro.

There are two popular ways that otoro is served, raw or seared. If you'd like to learn how to make it, as well as get some tips on where to find this delicacy, head over to Just One Cookbook below.