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..

11 ай бұрын

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

@angellover02171

11 ай бұрын

I make Mac salad with tuna and mayo

@phillyjones3028

10 ай бұрын

JAPANESE MAYO BTW, cuz American mayo is garbage

@baghabit7696

10 ай бұрын

Tuna mayo jacket potato

@angellover02171

10 ай бұрын

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

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

28 күн бұрын

Yeah i heard the crunch, and was confused.

@waldemarrequena5315

25 күн бұрын

Easy to unwrap, keeps the seaweed crispy

@jillvasquez1010

24 күн бұрын

Great! Cause don't like nori

@goldHydrangeas

15 күн бұрын

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

11 күн бұрын

@@jillvasquez1010 I think you missed the point

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

@mikec518

10 күн бұрын

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

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

12 күн бұрын

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

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

@Lnclt-tc3ln

27 күн бұрын

or Germans with their 3200+ types of bread

@inthefade

27 күн бұрын

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

@vitriolicAmaranth

27 күн бұрын

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

26 күн бұрын

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

@nilsbrown7996

26 күн бұрын

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

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

27 күн бұрын

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

@Toastybees

26 күн бұрын

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

@xmeowcatx6939

20 күн бұрын

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: kzread.info/dash/bejne/imSFuNqudtrcqLw.htmlsi=zUxmkWVEQ2mUgFvy&t=246

@RabahJam

19 күн бұрын

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

16 күн бұрын

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.

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

@edwardfletcher7790

7 күн бұрын

That's a beautiful memory, thank you for sharing it 👍😁

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" 😄

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.

@timaga

9 күн бұрын

O is just an honorific as in ohashi obento ojyousama. Nigiri means shaped by hand. Onigirazu means “not shaped by hand” since each half is pressed in a form.

@artsho

7 күн бұрын

hahaha you are so wrong!

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

29 күн бұрын

Which rice brand do you like the best!!!

@JoellePretty

29 күн бұрын

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

@toxiccity97

28 күн бұрын

@@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

26 күн бұрын

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

@r.coachman3499

4 күн бұрын

@@somefishhere THANK you for asking this! I’ve been lost on what rice to use~!

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.

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

@samsanimationcorner3820

29 күн бұрын

A legendary video for sure.

@bananadad9228

28 күн бұрын

His reach is infinite

@riffzifnab9254

28 күн бұрын

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

@misheruzinho

25 күн бұрын

same

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.

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

Ай бұрын

I need to live with you! Sounds amazing.

@atsukorichards1675

Ай бұрын

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

24 күн бұрын

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

24 күн бұрын

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

@jimmylin7233

23 күн бұрын

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

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

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.

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

@thecollector5243

4 ай бұрын

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

@Menuki

Ай бұрын

Mentaiko all the way for me.

@inthefade

27 күн бұрын

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

23 күн бұрын

@@inthefade Spam musubi in Hawaii

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

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

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

@cepahreinholt8710

10 ай бұрын

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

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

@Menuki

Ай бұрын

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

23 күн бұрын

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

@davideriksen9086

20 күн бұрын

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

20 күн бұрын

@@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

17 күн бұрын

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

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

15 күн бұрын

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.

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

Ай бұрын

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

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

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

27 күн бұрын

nigeru (nigete) from this video and this comment

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

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

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.

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

9 ай бұрын

Onigiri is everywhere in the US. Lol

@fanofallaroundaudreyandjus544

3 ай бұрын

@@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

Ай бұрын

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

28 күн бұрын

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.

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

Ай бұрын

Fuck yeah

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.

This is what I took in my lunch pretty much every day when I was in elementary school, with umeboshi. Every road trip we took, my grandmother made rice balls the night before for our travel snacks.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 ай бұрын

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

@ChrisJohnsonCJs-Kitchen

Ай бұрын

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.

3:50 thanks for referencing literally the only education i ever received on the history of Japan.

@Sphagetti__

27 күн бұрын

It was so smooth as well

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!

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.

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

Ай бұрын

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.

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

Nice "history of japan i guess" reference.

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.

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

We have a restaurant in Baltimore called Ekiben and it is insanely good. Now I know the history of the name. So thanks for that

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

Born in Japan, Raised in Hawaiʻi since age 7. The onigiraza reminds me very much of Hawaiʻi`s very popular Spam-Musubi which has evolved into teri-chicken musubi, tamago musubi, hot-dog musubi etc. The original shape of the Spam musubi was dictated due to the shaped of the Spam slice between the two rice layers, and wrapped in nori. Thought Japanese in origin, it has become a very Hawaiʻi thing. If youʻree ever in Hawaiʻi you should try it. Hawaiʻi 7-11 stores always carry a nice variety.

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.

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....

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

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

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.

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

4 ай бұрын

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

2 ай бұрын

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

Tuna and mayonnaise is pretty omnipresent here is the states. I went to a class at our local library to learn to make nigiri, and the one theey made was tuna and mayonnaise. I had actually thought at the time that they were just catering it to American tastes.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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

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

When I was a kid (and even now) I'd mix furikake into rice to make onigiri at home. Makes for a good lunch

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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

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

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!

I wish we had cheap onigiri over here in germany. a local supermarket, rewe, sells them... but for $3 a pop. for rice, salt, and seaweed. nothing else. it's INSANE.

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!!

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.

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

"Tuna and mayonnaise, which sounds like a weird mix but it actually works well" That's just tuna salad man, everyone loves tuna salad.

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!

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 😅

Samgak kimbop is the Korean equivalent. It is my go to quick lunch/😊 snack, every GS 25, Family mart and 7-11 sell it. In Japan they sell Korean versions with Kimchi and bulgogi

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.

Very promising and informative channel. Keep it up!

This was really enjoyable, fun and informative - I don't however know if it's quite accurate to say that America 'asked' Japan to open up the country to outside trade; large warships are not generally employed when making a friendly request ;)

I've never been to Japan, but I've had onigiri plenty of times at the Japanese market in downtown Princeton NJ, across the street from Princeton University. I get the salmon roe filled ones or the tuna filled ones. They're really not very good unless you dip them in soy sauce. I wonder if the ones you can get in Japan are much better. I think they actually make them fresh in the store and it's run by people from Japan, so it's authentic as can be. But I'm always disappointed when I get them, so I usually don't unless it's late at night and they have them half off and I don't want to spend a lot of money.

I miss onigiri at convenience stores so much.

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

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.

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.

Quick shoutout to 969 NYC Coffee in Jackson Heights, Queens. Only place where I've had onigirazu and it was life-changing good. And yes, the cheese doesn't make sense until you try it.

😭😭 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!

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?

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.

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!

Very interesting! I had no idea Onigiri was such a huge staple

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

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.

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.

Onigirazu came from a cooking manga (Japanese graphic novel) called "Cooking Papa"