【Reading】てまきすし

【English Name】Temaki-sushi

Temaki-zushi (hand roll sushi) is a sushi style in which vinegared rice and ingredients are wrapped in nori into a cone shape using only the hands, without a rolling mat. Its appeal lies in the convenience of requiring no tools compared with ordinary rolled sushi, and it has spread widely to the home dining table.

Tsukiji Tama-zushi claims to have begun serving it in 1971 (Showa 46), and the restaurant calls itself the originator of the "Suehiro Temaki." However, the cooking method of wrapping rice and ingredients by hand with nori may have existed before then, and various theories remain about its origin.

As for how it is eaten, the common style is for each person to select their preferred ingredients and roll vinegared rice along with sashimi, vegetables, and the like onto toasted nori. In contrast to the format at a sushi counter where an artisan forms each piece, it has taken root as a dining occasion in which everyone gathers around the table and participates.

There are no restrictions on the ingredients, and another reason for its popularity is the freedom to combine sashimi such as tuna and salmon, vegetables such as cucumber and shiso leaf, and items like natto and rolled omelet. Quite a few households gather around hand-roll sushi in place of the eho-maki at Setsubun.