Why Japan is Changing its Most Popular Food

Onigiri (or riceballs) have existed in some form in Japan for over 2,000 years. Across the centuries it has served different purposes and roles in Japanese society. I traced onigiri's history to the present, to taste traditional onigiri at a restaurant called Onigiri Bongo. However, at the same time, the role of onigiri might be about to change again. Let's explore onigiri in the 21st century, where old and new onigiri co-exist.
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SOCIAL MEDIA:
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Credits:
Producer - Matthew Li
Production Assistant - Mana Chuabang
Script Supervisor - Russ Medcalf
Special thanks:
Louis Govier
Yusef Iqbal
Yeevonne Lim
Dylan Payne
Onigiri Bongo
Tanagokoro
Music from Musicbed
SOURCES:
Matcha - matcha-jp.com/en/1635
Britannica - www.britannica.com/topic/onigiri
Onigiri Association - www.onigiri.or.jp/history
Timestamps:
0:00 - why is onigiri so important to Japan?
1:26 - what is onigiri?
2:21 - how onigiri existed for 2000 years
4:59 - trying 7-eleven onigiri
6:16 - onigiri bongo
8:02 - onigirazu
9:03 - trying onigirazu

[@balduccirichard]

Great video, just one side note: tuna with mayonnaise doesn't sound weird at all, it's one of the best combinations for canned tuna 😍

[@CBD7069..]

Right? A tuna salads main ingredients are canned tuna and mayo lol. And that’s eaten commonly throughout the world.

[@angellover02171]

I make Mac salad with tuna and mayo

[@phillyjones3028]

JAPANESE MAYO BTW, cuz American mayo is garbage

[@baghabit7696]

Tuna mayo jacket potato

[@angellover02171]

@@baghabit7696 like a tuna melt with potato instead of bread

[@tysonristau4995]

5:41 he didn’t explain the reason for the special packaging. The seaweed is packed separate from the rice and so it’s still crunchy when you open and eat it

[@alexzanderblough6264]

Yeah i heard the crunch, and was confused.

[@waldemarrequena5315]

Easy to unwrap, keeps the seaweed crispy

[@jillvasquez1010]

Great! Cause don't like nori

[@goldHydrangeas]

Well it only works IF the outer isn't impeded with tape by dumb clerks.. those who don't know & put price labels & sticky sht over where you pull tab to easy opens it up.

[@Sliceof_lyfeedc]

@@jillvasquez1010 I think you missed the point

[@anthonybottigliero8336]

The whole "food for the people" aspect is exactly what I love about "street food".

[@mikec518]

Not to be a naysayer on general street food, but I don't like how unhealthy street food usually is. Luckily, onigiri seems like a nice exception

[@Sacto1654]

I think _onigiri_ changed to the modern style for one reason: easier to make by machine. The older style _onigiri_ , which you can still get pretty easily in Japan, is hand-made and is fairly labor-intensive.

[@Zabzim]

It’s the prepackaged sandwich from the nation that never really go into growing wheat.

[@royliuhm]

If you think of the term, Onigiri 御握り literally means "Honorable handful". "razu" らず turns it into a negative term. So Onigirazu means "Honorable (not) a handful" which would mean an Onigiri that is bigger than a handful, implying more value for money. As well as being a hip and trendy term of course.

[@daltonz]

Onigiri can be gluten free, but it typically isn’t when gotten from Japanese convenience stores. The gluten comes from the soy sauce used in the filling which is typically “cut” or bulked up with wheat.

[@mxBug]

depends on the filling ! that tuna mayo one is gluten-free, for example.

[@Toastybees]

It is not bulked up with wheat, wheat is a traditional completely expected ingredient of soy sauce.

[@xmeowcatx6939]

As @Toastybees said, wheat is a normal ingredient important in the making of soy sauce. Professor Ryoichi Iiono cites the 6th century C.E. document, the Qi Min Yao Shu's instructions for making the predecessor sauce for soy sauce "The Seimin-yojutsu [Qi Min Yao Shu in Japanese) details a recipe for soybean sho that has been summarized as follows: Mix steamed black soybeans with white salt, kona koji (powdered wheat kneaded with water and formed into a dough...." Citation: www.kikkoman.com/jp/kiifc/foodculture/pdf_01/e_012_015.pdf Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce typically fermented without grains and is a great alternative for those who need it. Cook's Illustrated did a taste test of soy sauces and found that there was a trend in which tamari lacked balance, taste, and sweetness that soy sauce fermented with wheat has. Citation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmG0h6ure9yprrssi=zUxmkWVEQ2mUgFvy&t=246

[@RabahJam]

japanese soy sauce is made with both wheat and soy beans which means it naturally contains gluten, contrary to tamari sauce which is only soy beans or for example a korean soy sauce which also doesnt use wheat. wheat is an integral part of japanese soy sauce.

[@VeryInteresting369]

Is it the Gluten or the Glyphosate that’s destroying peoples guts? My guess, it’s the Glyphosate, since Japan has the lowest usage rate of it in the developed countries.

[@jackpagn8424]

Like Italians have 2k+ forms of pizza, Japanese ppl have 2k+ forms of rice + seaweed

[@Lnclt-tc3ln]

or Germans with their 3200+ types of bread

[@inthefade]

Onigiri is just basically the equivalent of a sandwich in the West. Just something filling and easy to eat during the day.

[@vitriolicAmaranth]

2k+ forms of pizza, yet if an italian-american makes a neapolitan style pizza and calls it new york style it's not a valid pizza.

[@nilsbrown7996]

That’s cause the heathens put parmigiana on it . Joke🤣 I’m having an by argument about that on another video.

[@nilsbrown7996]

Italians have those amazing little sandwiches, tramazzini. Actually these new rice sandwiches and their fillings look VERY similar.

[@schweinebauchsandwich1606]

As a half japanese person who grows up in europ is onigiri a childhood memory food I know it's not the best food in Japan but for me it is the taste of the mother's love

[@aggressive_pizza1279]

It would've also been worth mentioning that onigiri comes from the verb nigiru (握る), meaning to "grasp"/"hold", because of the way you have to mold the rice into its usual triangle shape whereas onigirazu literally means "without grasping" because you don't mold the whole thing into a ball. That's why nigiri also refers to the flat-bed type of sushi (握り寿司) as opposed to the "maki" sushi roll (巻き寿司) where maki means "to roll up" 😄

[@JoellePretty]

I've been slightly obsessed with making onigirazu for breakfast (in the U.S.) the past couple months. I didn't realize it was such a recent evolution. Thanks for this video.

[@somefishhere]

Which rice brand do you like the best!!!

[@JoellePretty]

@@somefishhere I don't have a favorite. Right now I'm using Lundberg Organic California sushi rice.

[@toxiccity97]

@@somefishhere i use kokuho rose its a really nice firm fluffy medium grain white rice, you can get it at any asian grocery or whole foods

[@fearsomefiredragon]

Me too! I’m starting clinical rotations at vet school soon so I started making onigiri last month as a way to help me actually get a lunch in me, oftentimes we are eating on the run and rice is so cheap and easy to make

[@osherfein3117]

The Bill Wurtz “history of japan” reference made me laugh out loud

[@samsanimationcorner3820]

A legendary video for sure.

[@bananadad9228]

His reach is infinite

[@riffzifnab9254]

Glad I'm not alone (: Also lulzing about "asking"

[@misheruzinho]

same

[@Emeraldwitch30]

This video makes me feel better about how I fill my onigiri at home in the US as an old white lady, lol Of course, tuna mayo is a given, but my hubby is not into fish or strong tasting fish/ingredients I've put a slice of ham and cheese and scrambled egg for him. Or bacon and egg My other favorite is opening a tin of smoked kippers or smoked herring/mackerel and mashing it a bit for the middle. Smoky oily fish really goes well in the salty rice. Sometimes nice ripe kimchee goes right in the middle, too! I don't always have big sheets of nori so I tend to pack them naked and bring a few packages of korean gim snacks to wrap them in so it's still crispy. The trader joes teriyaki flavor is really good on the outside. Left over teriyaki salmon or chicken also goes well in there. I never claim its authentic lol But my half Japanese brother in law absolutely loves the smoked kipper ones. If we go out fishing for the day, I've been asked to bring double if he's going lol. But he brings the beer 🍺 😂 and edamame beans. Oh and occasionally a huge bag of deep fried salmon skin. Better than corn chips 😅

[@cck6740]

I need to live with you! Sounds amazing.

[@atsukorichards1675]

Your comments make me so happy! Bacon or ham and egg onigiri sounds delicious, and I love to try the those kipper and herring/mackerel ones. As a Japanese, my favorites are rather traditional (ume-boshi, konbu, okaka, Tsukuda-ni, salmon, and plain with salt), but there are so many kinds of onigiri we can choose out there. There are no limits for filling, mixed-in, topping, or wrap with. (Oh, the salmon skin (my case is the grilled one) was one of my father's favorites!)

[@jimmylin7233]

Onigiri is food for the people. There's no such thing as an "improper" onigiri. Fill it with whatever your heart desires! Your onigiri honestly sound very delicious!

[@atsukorichards1675]

@@jimmylin7233 Only not "jam," please...

[@jimmylin7233]

@@atsukorichards1675 Hey, it’s their kitchen, their fillings

[@vianabdullah2837]

Makes sense that there's bargain bin sandwiches that you take at the local convinience store, but also gones that are a genuine meal. No reason onigiri can't be the same.

[@n0etic_f0x]

Honestly, I love these and thought it was more convenient than even a sandwich. I could buy a fifty-pound bag of rice that would never go stale and cost about 20% of what I would pay for even poor-quality bread so that is what I did. Plus a bad of rice that massive was only really sold at an Asian grocery I knew and so I got to pick up stuff not found in a typical grocery.

[@aby110]

I love making onigiri at home. I usually go with tuna-mayo and black sesame seeds as filling/flavor.

[@thecollector5243]

Gonna try the sesame seed. Thanks for the tip. 👍

[@Menuki]

Mentaiko all the way for me.

[@inthefade]

It is maybe more Korean, but my Filipino friend got me into fried Spam inside mine. I thought I hated Spam until he made me try it sliced and fried. It's just like a sandwich, so whatever you want will work.

[@Lurksmore]

@@inthefade Spam musubi in Hawaii

[@AzraelThanatos]

You know, it looks a lot like the onigirazu is more of merging onigiri with more european style sandwich fillings.

[@oopsneyt]

I really like the concept your videos! At first, I thought you were a big channel already. Hope you keep producing these gems.

[@cepahreinholt8710]

Same I was surprised the first video was only 4 month ago.

[@muquietto3764]

Thank you for the video. Here onigiri is usually served in japanese restaurant as a starter for ramen, getting a window to the history and concept behind the food is actually much appreciated.

[@vitriolicAmaranth]

My favourite kind of rice doughnuts are the ones that have a little bit of seaweed as a glaze and sour plum salty jelly filling. Canned fish jelly is alright too. Furikake sprinkles always liven up a doughnut!

[@nackedgrils9302]

I remember seeing this as a kid while watching the dub of the first Pokémon season and thinking that Japanese doughnuts were super weird but I still wanted to taste them.

[@larry8lo]

Onigirazu really reminds me of Spam musubi. Of course they both came from onigiri, but still interesting to see the convergent evolution.

[@Menuki]

Well, a region/historical name for onigiri is omusubi. Hawaii had a huge Japanese influence. During WWII, there were fear that ethnic Japanese were spying and meeting the military to transport intel. So the USA barred all fishing on Hawaii. With fish no longer being available, an alternative needed to be found. American military bases had surpluses of Spam and soldiers got tired of it, so became quickly available to the public (note places like South Korea and the Philippines on the popularity of spam coinciding with American military bases). Spam musubi was born. No mistake on how it looks like a giant piece of nigiri sushi.

[@Lurksmore]

@@Menuki Not to mention, it is a shelf stable meat in a tropical environment.

[@davideriksen9086]

Hard to tell if Spam Musubi made it to Japan in Post-War Period or via Japanese tourists coming much later to Hawaii. I personally think the timeline and the onigiri sando evolution are more born from the Hawaii timeline.

[@Menuki]

@@davideriksen9086 the spam musubi requires military bases with a surplus of spam. As the main resupply point in the pacific, Hawaii was overloaded with the spam. You see spam popularity In similar places like South Korea or the Philippines Okinawa was the main military base in japan and incidentally the focal point of the onigiri sando, but it not as closely related as you think. Musubi was a product of Japanese utilizing what they had available. The onigiri sando is a convergent evolution of separate factors. US soldier infamously take rations to locals to cook, just for the sake of diversity. Korean Military stew is legendary in that respect. Locals will also change local cuisine to attract US servicemen. Nachos have that history. You can see how a culture without bread might improvise a sandwich in that way. That being said their difference is that musubi was made by locals for locals whereas the sando was made by locals for Americans.

[@sfong9633]

​@@MenukiSupposedly, a local woman of Hawaii and Japanese descent created spam musubi, either Barbara Funamura or Mitsuko Kaneshiro.

[@drunkredninja]

production quality is casual yet top notch, you deserve more subs my boi

[@special_summon]

once I started using short grain rice and learned the proper technique, I couldn’t stop making onigiri! Tuna mayo is the best, I like making it spicy with this tabasco sriracha I’ve been loving 😋

[@calvinsperberg3714]

remember to wash your rice good and soak it for at least 30 minutes

[@thepathtomaine7187]

I was stationed in Japan for 3 years with my family and I loved onigiri. I just started making them at home and it’s almost nostalgic now

[@cedricletherisien4363]

Onigiri comes from the verb, "nigiru" which in this case means to mold or to form. Same origin as nigiri sushi. Onigirazu is a "pun" where the verb is conjugated to a negation, meaning "to not mold/form". So if onigiri can be seen as "formed rice", onigirazu is "non-formed rice" which I thought was pretty clever.

[@buudorobuudronovich1507]

nigeru (nigete) from this video and this comment

[@joshuae7887]

I lived off of those 7/11 onigiri in Japan 😂. So good. I liked the shrimp ones.

[@davids7009]

Reminds me of the Sushirrito sushi burrito craze in America a few years ago. Hopefully if these new trendy Onigiri become trendy we'll get to see it here too.

[@DanielDeadweight]

Onigiri is everywhere in the US. Lol

[@fanofallaroundaudreyandjus544]

@@DanielDeadweightNot here we don’t have any Japanese food here. To be honest we don’t have any authentic Japanese, Chinese, or Korean food here. I live in a small county and we don’t get anywhere new here ever. It took until like 2017 until we even got our first and only Chick-Fil-A.

[@calvinsperberg3714]

are you sure about that? lol plus on top of that, the onigiri available in the US is typically mediocre at best too, even from any Japanese supermarkets >< Trust me you must live in an area where there are actually a higher population of Japanese, because if you don't live in such an area there is 0-5% chance you have any onigiri....lol The only chance you have onigiri is depending on the amount of Nihonjin that live in your area, or maybe unless you got super lucky someone opened a shop. I'm from Green Bay, Wisconsin and Chicago has a quite large Japanese population and even there outside of the couple Japanese markets it is almost impossible to find onigiri outside of a few places that might have it on the menu...lol Sounds like you probably have a Mitsuwa or some other Japanese market nearby you or something....lol

[@kenreynolds1000]

We've got a bulgolgirrito joint near work. beef, spicy pork, chicken, seafood. huge portions and busy. Makes me happy. I'd love to see a western take on onigiri too. Like the Poke chains popping up.

[@SgtRocko]

When I was stationed in Japan, breakfast was Miso soup, lunch was 2 or 3 Onigiri (my favourite stand, the lady made the most AMAZING Rafuke Onigiri that I still dream about... she also made bacon & scrambled egg ones that... again, I still dream about & have never been able to recreate). Now that I have a tonne of Korean in-laws, we eat Samgak Kimbap (it's Onigiri) and Kimbap (sooooo close to Onigiri in versatility) several times a week. LOVE it. Tuna/Mayo, Umbeboshi, Curry beef, Lox/Avocado... Dang, hope the rice cooker isn't empty right now!!!!

[@MarlosCartinez]

Fuck yeah

[@kylegarcia2454]

Instant subscribe. I love that while there you're digging in depth in a way even some Japanese youtubers haven't bothered.

[@WillGallagher1]

Love it! Live near an Asian market in Chicago and have them all the time as a meal or a snack 😅 they’re great and much more filling than they appear.

[@spinnever]

I remember the first few times I tried to unwrap convenience store onigiri and failing miserably 😅 Another fascinating video! I would never have guessed that onigiri had such a long history.

[@fongdimbulator]

My mind was blown when I realised there were numbered tabs on the wrapper

[@ChrisJohnsonCJs-Kitchen]

The only problem is, the label sometimes keeps the #1 strip from tearing properly. It's pretty genius how they wrap them so the nori doesn't get soggy.

[@anumic_]

This really cool because this was the first time i actually ate onigiri and me and my family had so much fun eating and figuring this out so thanks

[@maxinsignia]

This video is so well done i was genuinely surprised how low the subcount is 💀. High quality content compared to even bigger youtubers, W fr

[@spongygames]

Nice "history of japan i guess" reference.

[@TheKathept]

I love onigiri!!! I wish it were all over the place in Seattle, USA. I could eat it every day. Thanks for the GREAT video! I loved all the history. Makes me love onigiri even more.

[@ChrisJohnsonCJs-Kitchen]

Me too. At least we can get them at Uwajimaya. I really love them with tuna mayo or salmon, they also make a musubi that is chicken asado or adobo or something, that I like a lot.

[@Activated_Complex]

A natto rice ball and a can of Boss Black coffee was my usual breakfast in Japan, and easily powered me through the day up to lunchtime or even late afternoon. The hand-made onigiri you tried out look amazing, but also, I couldn't get over their size. They're huge! I get that there's a generous amount of filling, but it looks like there's also a donburi order's worth of rice there.

[@mspirits9911]

In the world of food, the small innovation is what makes people excited. Therefore, in the case of Onigirazu, that would be the case.

[@pipkinrahl7264]

We just learned to make these at home, it's wonderful.

[@fedorkochemasov4533]

I love the naming convention - "onigiri" is a noun from the verb "nigiru" to grasp, and could mean "a handful", so the onigiri has the connotation of being eaten somewhere on the go, as a handheld food. But onigirazu is is the negative form of that verb, and so the connotation of eating on the go disappears.

[@mitchelljarmellmiller6102]

I love the information you offer in your videos. Very, ah, nourishing. Great work.

[@feyza1831]

I'm so glad I came across this video, great subject matter and I love your way of creating and telling a story

[@lqfr8813]

thank you for your video. its entertaining to know that culture in food can change over time but its still can become a hype on old staple food

[@hirkstein6259]

Love the « Open the country, stop having it be closed » reference!!

[@PauseandSelect]

I didn't know even know you made this channel shift; interesting stuff my dude, keep it up!

[@jackyj.5949]

This is really high-quality video! I can't believe you only have 14k subs. It's only a matter of time before your channel gets big!

[@zanruos88]

really great video , its helping me with my reasearch for my trip.

[@DarkChaosMC]

If you’re looking for the song at 7:25, it’s “Delicious!” by Kokonoku, Or the original of the song, but that is the remix I have in my playlist.

[@2GunsUpZ]

Your vids are so good! Glad I was here in the early days.

[@PrtSc]

The "History of Japan" reference at 3:46 made me laugh. Thank you for the insightful video!

[@percivaltcg]

Great video. Really nice production and an interesting topic. I was really surprised when I saw the sub count. Keep up the good work! You made it onto my home page.

[@nickacca]

This was great. Congrats 👏🎉

[@jilljones9804]

Growing up our local grocery store was Japanese owned and had a great selection of Asian food products. Onigiri was an affordable snack we could enjoy and my kids loved them too. Moving away from home and not being able to grab onigiri has been sad for us. Wish it was sold in convenient stores in the states widely like overseas. Street foods and convenient market foods are so much better outside of the states.

[@eddiestilll]

man... i haven't had onigiri in so long and this vid has brought back my love for its taste actually on top of its simplicity! :D

[@johncliffalvarez6513]

I know I’m late. But this was the most informative video I’ve seen on Onigiri. It’s one of my favorite Japanese foods, and boy, do I miss it!

[@omgleowtf]

First time in this channel, great content dude! Subscribed!

[@DouglasRosser]

Almost 30 years ago, while serving for the United States Air Force in Misawa, Japan, I remember even us Americans would buy onigiri more often than not. EDIT - Of course, when we weren't eating all the ramen, sushi, yakitori, yakiniku, tempura, curry, etc....

[@kronos319]

Fantastic content! I visited Japan a while ago and was astounded at how good 7-11 is; the food and snacks are pretty good for a convenience store!

[@yakitatefreak]

I remembered seeing another video ages ago on another major channel (Brothers Green Eats, now rebranded as Pro Home Cooks) and I like the concept.

[@WolfsToob]

I absolutely love onigiri!! (I live in the US) Whenever I am making some sort of short/medium grain white rice dish, I always make extra rice so I can have onigiri for lunch the next day. It’s so fun and easy to make, and I can experiment with fillings/flavors. I have had my eye on onigirazu for a while now, that unagi one looks absolutely delicious! I am going to have to pick up some unagi the next time I go to my local Asian grocery store.

[@NoRecipes]

This was an excellent video. Nice job researching the history and presenting a well rounded picture of this classic. Another reason why onigiri are moving towards onigirazu is the high protein trend currently sweeping Japan, the form factor allows for more protein (like a whole slab of chicken teriyaki) to be stuffed inside.

[@RaskylC]

thats amazing to know that this food i have been eating for convenience has such a long history and evolving from that

[@Campernicus]

3:48 "when the U.S. 'asked' japan to open the country" 🤣 come on

[@thecollector5243]

Tuna-Mayo Onigiri are soooo good, not boring at all. I make them myself and put a generous amount inside of the rice ball. Sometimes, I live dangerously and add a bit of onion. 😁

[@Emeraldwitch30]

I like a bit of finely chopped dill pickle in my tuna mayo too. If you like eggs try a slice of hard boiled egg in with the tuna mayo onigiri. It's almost like having an egg salad and tuna mayo sandwich together, lol. Sorry I just like to eat and share lol. Not everyone in my family is as fascinated with food as I am lol.

[@dieseltu1035]

Put a little pickle relish when you mix the tuna mayo. Then you're be on the wild side.

[@ChickensAndGardening]

Cool! I've only recently discovered onigiri here in the Boston area and since I've only found it at one Japanese grocery 15 minutes away, I've been learning to make it! Can't wait to get to Japan and try those onigiri specialty shops. Bonus points because I'm trying to get away from wheat (esp. gluten) and an onigiri sandwich sounds like a good solution!!

[@azuldream]

Very promising and informative channel. Keep it up!

[@Lavszera]

11:27 I had the same feeling one day when I was eating a bento on the street in my county's (Brazil) Japan Town the other day 😅

[@ChrisJohnsonCJs-Kitchen]

What a great video, I'm glad I stumbled across it today. Thank you for sharing the history of the onigiri, it's very interesting. It seems like the advantage of onigirazu would be a more even distribution of the filling. What is your favorite filling for them so far?

[@kekchanbiggestfan]

What a well made video!

[@philosophysics8150]

Onigarazu actually got its start from a very long-running cooking manga called Cooking Papa. The story goes that the mangaka's wife was in a hurry one day and adapted onigiri to be more akin to a rice sandiwch for ease of creation. So he adapted the instructions to show off in the manga. It's very popular in Hawaii for potlucks.

[@wendellsmith1349]

I learned a lot.. thank you.

[@eduardochavacano]

Excellent video. Very informative.

[@Menuki]

A point you’re overlooking is how much social media has influenced food culture. As much as we like to mock ppl who take pictures of their food, it has spread ideas and innovation throughout cooks. Because recipes can’t be copywritten, it has accelerated evolution of dishes. Think back before all the online food photos, how would ppl know what ppl at in other countries. It was the strict narrative of tradition and cookbooks, the side ppl wanted ppl to think about a country. The Pokémon being a prime example. Say it’s something else rather than explaining what really happening. This has led to a cultural exchange of food ideas and concepts. They boundaries of what food can or has to be are breaking down and it goes both ways. Like a paella onigiri in Spain or a Cajun onigiri filled with crawfish. The spam musubi, an onigiri descendant, has taken on a life of its own and is now spawning its own progeny. My personal favorite: rice crispy treat spam musubi.

[@JTFandBEYOND]

I grew up in Yokohama in the mid 1960’s. Salmon filled was my favorite!

[@Narconia]

I have always loved onigiri and miss it....when i was little my parents were stationed in japan and we live there 3.5 years ....the onigirazu sounds like it would be yummy and possibly make it easier for work lunches ect.

[@MadCapybaraRX]

I can assure you home-made onigiri is tastier. Even the simplest salted onigiri. That is because love was put into it! Mom and grandma's cooking is the best in the world after all. Nothing beats it!

[@mara5297]

My grandpa worked in an aid agency in post war Korea. He talked about distributing "rice balls with a sour plum in the middle" to people when food was still scarce. Probably onigiri, considering the Japanese occupation had ended only 5 years prior!

[@jaredf6205]

For years my plan for the very first thing I do the second I get to Japan is to go straight to 7-Eleven and buy a marinated kombu onigiri lol

[@photosapphic1984]

2:25 Tonjiki sounds a lot like zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) both in the ingredients and how it’s associated with rituals. Granted, in Taiwan, you can find zongzi year-round, but it is most commonly associated with the Dragon Boat Festival (and also easiest to find around that time). I will have to look up onigirazu next time I’m in Japan.

[@tofu_golem]

Onigiri is simple. My mother is Japanese, and onigiri was one of my favorite Japanese snack foods. She couldn't always get the right kinds of things to put inside of it, and had to make weird substitutions, but it was one of my favorite "taste of Japan" things while living in Germany, America, etc. So naturally, I'm going to be a cranky curmudgeon about any change to it. Well, changes after the 70s, 80s, etc.

[@justinasvd]

Amazing quality! Subbing!

[@handyhippie6548]

we call tuna mayonnaise, tuna salad and add dill pickle relish and onions. i eat it as a tuna salad sandwich. an easy cheat is to add canned tuna to tartar sauce, since it's mostly mayo, cream of tartar, and pickle relish.

[@longheadedshorthorse]

On days off I try to get up early enough to get xoi(Vietnamese sticky rice) and use it to make my own bastard onigiri with mackerel, tuna or egg salad.

[@SomeNoob]

Only just gone and done it again another Banger!

[@coolbrotherf127]

I learned how to make Onigiri and now I make my own tuna mayo ones for lunch all the time.

[@nathangamble125]

Tuna mayo is an extremely common sandwich filling. I really like it with sliced cucumber.

[@jeremyhawkins5278]

something that is funny that you see where I'm at are "sushi burritos" which are like...worse onigiris.

[@radex__]

I can see why they’ve translated onigiri as “sandwich” in the American dub of Pokemon. It really serves the same purpose and is in all ways analogous to a sandwich.

[@Giganfan2k1]

1:56 Tell me you have never had tuna salad without telling me you have not had tuna salad.

[@katekramer7679]

I went to Korea last month and I swear half of my "meals" were salmon onigiri from 7/11. So good.

[@Patrick-nv5ug]

When I was young a rice ball was just that...a ball of moist rice with ume in the middle, totally wrapped in nori. They don't even exist anymore, I think. I grew up with them. Likewise cone sushi and Hawaiian style maki sushi (makizushi) is disappearing. I note that the specialty restaurant had Hawaiian style poke fillings along with some more Japanese, and that the modern ones were basically variations of Spam or Hotdog Musubi first served as cheap snacks or lunch on Kauai. For many years, Japanese tourists were intrigued by the Hawaiianization of Japanese food, and are strong consumers when on vacation. It is sad for us to see the flavors we grew up with disappear.

[@user-dv6im5vf7h]

I’ll never understand why they thought American children wouldn’t understand the concept of a “rice ball” because I remember as a 6 year old who loved Pokemon and didn’t know what Japan is I was very confused by those “donuts”

[@theblackrose3130]

"For over 2000 years Japan has lived off the backbone of one food" (rice). Millet: Am I a joke to you?

[@anhokangame]

Back in the day, you can only find eggrolls in Vietnamese weddings or birthdays. Now it's everywhere.

[@davideriksen9086]

If it’s not still warm, the best option is with umeboshi-the pickled plums. Sweet, tart, and with the wetness to bring a cold onigiri back to life.

[@LikaSaliscente1969]

I love onigiri. What's up with sticky vs. "normal" rice? I always use short-grain rice so it sticks together. I like nori. I use different combinations, tuna & takuan, egg & seasoned mushroom, sometimes curry, leftover teriyaki chicken & veggies, whatever I have, and if I have different fillings, I make different shapes so people know what they are. I will take a riceball over an American sandwich, any day of the week.

[@whimsicalVanilla]

There's another episode of the Pokemon dub in which Brock calls Onigiri "Popcorn balls." Ah yes... because popcorn balls are triangular.... and have seaweed on them, lol

[@treebush]

Omg so this what you’ve been doing nice to see you do KZbin again lol

[@lilblkrose]

Tonjiki made with sticky rice n bamboo sounds like Zongzi (or Zoong for Canto speakers), a Chinese rice ball made for Dragon Boat Festival but often see them during a lot of Festivals.

[@cooljammer00]

Onigiri might not be trendy but it still feels like an indelible part of Japanese culture, esp for tourists visiting. All the people I know who went to Japan or want to go want to eat it because they know it's what the normal people eat there.

[@emilyelizabeth2718]

😭😭 I lived in Korea for four years and got so addicted to these. Over there they’re called 삼각김밥 (triangle seaweed rice) and are eaten and used just like in Japan- although I think the Korean ones are more generous with the filling!

[@anon19086posts]

Love this new trend of hipster onigiri! Love filling my onigiri with kimchi, small chunks of buldak sausage and cheese, cucumber and egg mayo, shrimp mayo, saucy chicken or just making it with fried kimchi rice!