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Podcast: レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast
Episode: Not yet as famous as ramen or sushi, humble onigiri rice ball is soul food of Japan
Description: The word “onigiri” became part of the Oxford English Dictionary this year, proof that the humble sticky rice ball and mainstay of Japanese food has entered the global lexicon.
The rice balls are stuffed with a variety of fillings and typically wrapped in seaweed. It’s an everyday dish that epitomizes “washoku”—the traditional Japanese cuisine that was designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage a decade ago.
Onigiri is “fast food, slow food, and soul food,” according to Yusuke Nakamura, who heads the Onigiri Society, a trade group in Tokyo. Fast because you can find it even at convenience stores. Slow because it...