Confusing sushi terms

On sushi menus, what's called red snapper is usually labeled, in Japanese, as tai.

In Japan, the word refers to sea bream, a fish caught off the coast of Japan and eaten on special occasions, said Tsuyoshi Iwata, director of agriculture and fisheries in the New York office of the Japan External Trade Organization, a government-related group that promotes trade between the United States and Japan.

In Japan, the word refers to sea bream, a fish caught off the coast of Japan and eaten on special occasions, said Tsuyoshi Iwata, director of agriculture and fisheries in the New York office of the Japan External Trade Organization, a government-related group that promotes trade between the United States and Japan.

But, over time, tai seems to have taken on a broader meaning in the United States, used to refer to both sea bream and red snapper. On the menu of every restaurant surveyed by the Sun-Times that offered tai, the word was translated as "red snapper."

But, over time, tai seems to have taken on a broader meaning in the United States, used to refer to both sea bream and red snapper. On the menu of every restaurant surveyed by the Sun-Times that offered tai, the word was translated as "red snapper."

The Japanese word Izumidai refers to tilapia -- a term fish dealers in Japan probably made up when the non-native species became popular and became widely available there, Iwata said. The word translates as "fountain tai." But you won't see the word izumidai on many menus.

Iwata and other experts theorized that, because tilapia is similar in flavor and texture to tai -- and because it's easier to get than red snapper -- Japanese restaurants in the U.S. have taken to using it instead, even though their menus still say tai or red snapper because that's what American diners recognize.

Ironically, some sushi chefs said red snapper isn't even suited well for sushi or sashimi because its flesh is too soft.

Janet Rausa Fuller