Onigiri: Japanese Name Their Favorite Rice Ball Fillings and Accompaniments

Great Balls of Rice

Freshly cooked fluffy rice served up in a bowl is delicious, but nothing beats onigiri with their amazing combination of chewy, lightly pressed rice with the harmonious blend of salt and nori (seaweed)!

A survey in Japan found that overall, 38.5% of respondents ate onigiri “at least once a week.” Looking at the different age groups, this percentage rose significantly to 45.5% among those in their twenties and to 47.7% for those in their forties. More than 60% of people in all the age groups ate onigiri “at least once a month.” The survey was conducted by Cross Marketing targeting 1,100 people aged from 20 to 69.

The favorite onigiri filling by far was “sake (salmon),” at 40.2%. This was followed by “tuna mayonnaise” (32.4%), “karashi mentaiko (spicy pollock roe)” (21.9%), and “umeboshi (pickled plum)” (20.9%). Salmon was most popular among those in their fifties and sixties, while those in their forties much preferred tuna mayonnaise.

At 58.6%, the majority of people purchased onigiri at a convenience store and, at 49.9%, the overwhelmingly most common item bought together with rice balls was a “green tea type beverage.”

In the twentieth century, it was customary when making onigiri at home to wet one’s palms with water and then sprinkle salt on them before shaping the rice, but the survey results showed that at 44.4% the predominant way now is to “shape using plastic wrap,” with 60% of women preferring this method.

Onigirazu are like a sandwich, with rice and other filler ingredients simply placed on nori sheets of seaweed and then folded, meaning they are easy even for children to make. (© Pixta)

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)