The Japanese riceball, or Onigiri, is one of the favorite on-the-go foods or snacks. It can be various shapes, but the ball shape or triangle shape are most common. Seaweed is often used to cover the rice ball and keep the rice together. Inside the rice ball there are usually one or more ingredients. These stuffing define the types of Onigiri and here are some of the most common:
– Salmon
– Tuna mayonnaise
– Pickled plum
– Cod roe
– Kelp
Onigiri can be easily made at home and if packed properly, stays good for a long time. It is therefore often taken on a trip. Also it is filling the stomach well, so easy to carry because it is a compact meal. Nowadays, convenience stores and supermarkets usually have a wide variety of Onigiri and during lunchtime you need to be quick otherwise they will be sold out.
For those Onigiri sold at the convenience stores and supermarkets, there is an interesting packaging and eating method. So they are triangle shaped and have an 3 step explanation on how to remove the packaging. First you grab the center at the top, and pull it down all the way. Then the second step is to pull the right side out and this is followed by step three to pull out the left side as well. Then holding the bottom corners, you eat from the top down. Below is a reference picture where you can see the steps highlighted.
Instead of a stuffing, there are also Ongiri which are just flavored rice. Or how about an Omurice Onigiri? Nowadays grilled and fried Onigiri’s are also available. In Tsujiki in Tokyo, there is a big Fish market which is a popular touristic area. There are some shops here selling the most delicious Onigiri. Here is a link on Google Maps: