In March, the Japanese department hosted an onigiri workshop open to any student taking a Japanese language course. We made and ate onigiri (おにぎり)! 

Onigiri is believed to have originated in the Yayoi period, approximately 2000 years ago. Originally, the rice was shaped into balls and served as easily transportable snacks for travelers and soldiers. During the Edo period (1603-1867), people began wrapping the onigiri in seaweed, a feature commonly recognized in the onigiri today. During this time period the triangle shaped onigiri we’re familiar with now became popular. 

In the workshop we made furikake onigiri which is made by mixing rice with Japanese seasoning called furikake. There was also rice mixed with red shiso or perilla leaves. Both were very good. The rice was already made when we arrived. All we had to do was shape the rice into a triangular shape and wrap it in seaweed. It sounds simple enough but getting it perfect can be a little hard. It was still very fun! 

Onigiri is often made with a variety of fillings including salmon, umeboshi and tuna. The onigiri often sold in convenience stores in Japan usually have filling in them. My favorite filling is tuna mayo. I probably had at least one onigiri every day when I was in Japan. I had the chance to try onigiri from convenience stores and restaurants. Honestly, both were incredibly delicious. It really is the perfect snack: easy to carry around, eat and it’s good.

The workshop was really fun! Now I’m really craving onigiri!

Thanks for reading!

Yailin Serrano