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Rolled in comfort: Lesser-known Japanese onigiri is ‘fast food, slow food and soul food’

By Associated Press
Published: July 19, 2024, 6:04am
6 Photos
Yosuke Miura prepares to make a rice ball at Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku, Tokyo’s oldest onigiri restaurant, Monday, June 3, 2024, in Tokyo.
Yosuke Miura prepares to make a rice ball at Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku, Tokyo’s oldest onigiri restaurant, Monday, June 3, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) (Yuri Kageyama/ Associated Press) Photo Gallery

TOKYO — The word “onigiri” became part of the Oxford English Dictionary this year, proof that the humble sticky-rice ball and mainstay of Japanese food has entered the global lexicon.

The rice balls are stuffed with a variety of fillings and typically wrapped in seaweed. It’s an everyday dish that epitomizes “washoku” — the traditional Japanese cuisine that was designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage a decade ago.

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