onigiri

onigiri, popular Japanese snack consisting of a ball or cone of rice, often with a filling and wrapped in nori (seaweed).

Onigiri takes its name from the Japanese word nigiru, meaning “to grasp” or “to squeeze,” so called because it is pressed by hand into a ball. The snack has also been called nigirimeshi, another term from which the name onigiri is derived. Onigiri is frequently called omusubi, both terms meaning rice snacks hand-pressed into shapes that are easily handled and eaten, though the latter is nearly always shaped into a triangle. Onigiri can be eaten either cold or hot, although if it is not quickly refrigerated, the starch in the rice can make it brittle.

The first known instance of onigiri dates back more than 2,000 years, recovered from an archaeological site in Ishikawa prefecture. It was served to court functionaries during the Heian period (794–1185) and played a part in a ritual gift exchange between those functionaries and the nobility. With the addition of pickled plums and other ingredients, it became a military ration during the Kamakura period (1192–1333), celebrated in martial ballads. In the Edo period (1603–1867) it emerged as a popular foodstuff available to everyone, as seen in a wood-block print by the artist Hiroshige in his famed series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (1833–34) that depicts a group of travelers enjoying onigiri. In 1885 it was one of the first foods approved for sale on Japan’s first railway line.

Onigiri is best made with glutinous short-grain white rice that is either boiled or steamed to its desired firmness, which should be on the al dente side. Additions such as salmon, sesame seeds, pickled vegetables, tuna, and roe may be added to the rice after it is cooked. Tradition-minded chefs pour salt on their hands and then shape the onigiri into balls. These are often wrapped wholly or partly in paper-thin sheets of seaweed and topped with the condiment called furikake, which combines seaweed flakes with dried herbs and salt.

Onigiri is a ubiquitous foodstuff in Japan, often eaten as a quick snack while on the move. Konbini (convenience stores) and supermarkets contain refrigerator cases devoted to it, street vendors selling onigiri can be seen near train stations and parks, and it is a familiar presence in bento boxes (Japanese segmented lunch boxes) and on school lunch menus.