Pop Japan

Onigiri is your Japanese on-the-go rice ball. They are usually triangular in size, but there are others who make cylindrical shapes, which are sushi-like. They are often wrapped in nori or Japanese seaweed sheets. Rice is known to have quite a fast shelf life, thus the Japanese put different sorts of natural preservatives so these rice balls can last within the day. Some put pickled ume or pickled Japanese apricot, or what the Japanese call as umeboshi. Some put salted salmon, kombu, tarako or other salted dishes for more flavor and also to preserve the rice more.

Photo by tednmiki. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: food, onigiri, japanese rice ball, on the go rice ball, nori, japanese seaweed, preservatives, salted salmon, kombu, tarako, umeboshi, japanese apricot, pickled ume