If you have ever visited a Japanese novelty shop, you surely would have come across these triangular rice balls called Onigiri. If you ever wanted to try eating Onigiri, but were riddled with questions like what is Onigiri; how to eat Onigiri; or how does Onigiri taste like; then read on and get all your queries answered.

Onigiri, also known as Omusubi, is a popular Japanese take away snack made from Japanese sticky rice, Nori (edible seaweed), and filled with a variety of salty or sour ingredients like salted salmon, katsuobushi, umeboshi, and other such pickles. Though Onigiri, like sushi is made up of seafood, nori, and sticky rice; Onigiri is not a type of sushi, while sushi was developed as a means to preserve fish, Onigiri is a convenience food akin to fast foods like instant noodles. Such is the rage of Onigiris in Japan, Korea and other Asian countries that it is not uncommon to see specialized Onigiri shops selling Onigiri with several types of fillings. 

Onigiri are typically pre-packed in a plastic wrap for easy portability. To eat an Onigiri, first tear away the central lining of the plastic wrap. Now, pull out the remaining packing material, what you will get now is nori wrapped rice ball with a filling of your choice. Hold the Onigiri like a bun and savor it. Onigiri is not a traditional Japanese food and more of a Japanese junk food. Hence, like all other convenience foods there are no rules to worry about when eating Onigiri. Dunk it in some sauce if you like or eat it as it is, it is all left to your personal choice.

Cannot find Onigiri in your locality, you need not worry for making Onigiri at home is quite simple. Do follow this link for some amazing Onigiri recipes with easy to follow instructions. 

Image credits: onigiri.com