There is a Japanese snack that is tasty, quite healthy and perfect to eat on the run without getting your hands dirty. In Addition, it’s way better for you than a hamburger as it’s basically just rice. This article will be about Onigiri (お握り).

Onigiri, also known as rice ball is a Streetfood-like dish that made from rice formed into triangular or cylinder shapes and often wrapped in seaweed. Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled plum, salted salmon, other kinds of fish, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative. 
Because of the popularity of onigiri in Japan, most konbinis stock their onigiri with various fillings and flavors. There are even specialized shops which only sell onigiri to take out. Due to the popularity of this trend in Japan, selling onigiri in small shops has spread to other parts of the world, such as other Asian countries, the United States and even countries in Europe, like Swiss where an Onigiri shop opened up in Zürich.

Despite misconceptions, onigiri is not a form of sushi. Onigiri is made with plain rice, while sushi is made of rice with vinegar, sugar and salt. Onigiri makes rice portable and easy to eat as well as preserving it, while sushi originated as a way of preserving fish.

It was believed that onigiri could not be mass-produced as the hand-rolling technique was considered too difficult for a machine to replicate. In the 1980s, however, a machine that made triangular onigiri was introduced. Nevertheless, handmade Onigiri are still the cleaner and prettier ones.
Speaking of handmade, you should try to make Onigiri yourself. It’s quite tricky to get the shape and size right the first few times but you get the hang of it and improve as time goes by. It’s definitely a useful skill to master!