Simple, Sticky Comfort Food: Why Japan Loves Onigiri
The word "onigiri" was included in the Oxford English Dictionary this year, proof that the simple sticky-rice ball that's so loved in Japan has entered the global lexicon.
The rice balls are stuffed with a variety of fillings and typically wrapped in seaweed.
Onigiri is fast food, slow food and food that's good for the soul, says Yusuke Nakamura, from the Onigiri Society, a trade group in Tokyo.
Fast because you can even find it at convenience stores. Slow because it uses ingredients from the sea and mountains, he said. And because it's often made and enjoyed among family and friends, Nakamura believes that it's good for the soul.
Onigiri in its earliest form is believed to go back at least as far as the 11th century; it's mentioned in Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji. It appears in Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai when it's given as a gift of gratitude by the farmers.
So what's the secret to good onigiri?
The stickiness of the rice is key. Salted plum is a popular filling, but anything can be put inside, even sausages or cheese.
One big onigiri would make a meal, although many people would eat more.
Yosuke Miura runs Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku, a restaurant founded in 1954 by his grandmother. It claims to be the oldest onigiri restaurant in Tokyo.
He uses a family recipe. With onigiri, he says, "You don't try to do something new."
But others like to experiment. Miyuki Kawarada runs Taro Tokyo Onigiri, which has four stores in Japan. She wants to make onigiri "the world's fast food."
Kawarada's onigiri has lots of filling on top, instead of inside. Each one comes with a separately wrapped piece of seaweed to be placed around it before you eat.
Her fillings are a little different: cream cheese mixed with a Japanese pickle for instance.
"We don't get tied down in tradition," said Kawarada.
Modern or traditional, onigiri is seen as the perfect comfort food.
