Onigiri (Rice Ball)

HISTORY AND FOOD of Japan

Japanese cuisine has been influenced by the food customs of other nations, but has adopted and refined them to create its own unique cooking style and eating habits.

The first foreign influence on Japan was China around 300 B.C. , when the Japanese learned to cultivate rice. The use of chopsticks and the consumption of soy sauce and soybean curd (tofu) also came from China.

The Buddhist religion, one of the two major religions in Japan today (the other is

Japan
Shintoism), was another important influence on the Japanese diet. In the A.D. 700s, the rise of Buddhism led to a ban on eating meat. The popular dish, sushi (raw fish with rice) came about as a result of this ban. In the 1800s, cooking styles became simpler. A wide variety of vegetarian (meatless) foods were served in small portions, using one of five standard cooking techniques. All foods were divided into five color groups (green, red, yellow, white, and black-purple) and six tastes (bitter, sour, sweet, hot, salty, and delicate). The Japanese continue to use this cooking system.




Onigiri (Rice Ball)
  

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice

Salt

Pickled plums, cut into small, bite-sized pieces

Cooked salmon, cut into small, bite-sized pieces

Dry seaweed sheets (nori), cut into strips

Procedure

Cook rice according to directions on package. Allow to cool slightly.

Have a bowl of lukewarm water handy.

Dip clean hands into water, and then sprinkle salt on wet hands.

Place a small mound of rice (about 2 Tablespoons) in the palm of your hand.

Press a piece of pickled plum or cooked salmon into the mound of rice.

Toss the mound back and forth between wet, salted hands to form a triangular mound, with the filling item in the center.

Wrap mound in a dry seaweed strip.

Thank you........