【Reading】ほそまき

【English Name】Hosomaki

Only a single kind of ingredient goes into one roll. This very simplicity is the greatest characteristic of hosomaki (thin rolls). The taut cylindrical shape, about 3 cm in diameter, is created by cutting a sheet of nori in half and forming it together with vinegared rice using a rolling mat. It is a long-standing presence among Edomae rolls, and kanpyo-maki in particular is the oldest of them all. There even remains an anecdote that, if you ordered "nori-maki" at an Edo-period sushi restaurant, you would be served a kanpyo hosomaki without a word.

There is also a distinctive convention for cutting. Kanpyo-maki is cut in half and then in half again, for a total of four pieces. Other hosomaki are conventionally made into six pieces.

Representative types:

• Kanpyo-maki (dried gourd roll) — a roll centered on sweet-and-salty simmered dried gourd. It also goes by the alternative name "teppo-maki" (cannon roll).
• Kappa-maki — the only filling is cucumber. The name derives from the legend that the kappa (water sprite) loves to eat it.
• Tekka-maki — lean tuna placed in the center. One theory holds that the name became established because the vivid red of the cross-section is reminiscent of red-hot iron (tekka).
• Natto-maki — rolled with minced fermented soybeans (hikiwari natto); many shops also add green shiso.
• Shinko-maki — pickled daikon (takuan) is placed inside, and some examples are finished by sprinkling sesame.

The slender, long appearance wrapped in black nori is reminiscent of a cannon, which is also the origin of the nickname "teppo-maki." Being easy to pick up casually with one hand was favored by the common people of Edo, and it is positioned as the prototype of rolled sushi.