【Reading】なっとうまき

【English Name】Natto-maki (fermented soybean roll)

Natto maki is a type of rolled sushi using natto (fermented soybeans) at its core, and it comes in two forms: the thin roll and the gunkan-maki.

Its birth as a thin roll is said to be in 1963, by the sushi restaurant "Sanzushi" in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. To make sushi -- then expensive -- enjoyable at an affordable price, they reportedly adopted natto, familiar to the people of Morioka, as the filling. The main shop of Sanzushi still bears "Specialty Natto Maki" on its shop curtain to this day.

On the other hand, the gunkan-maki form of natto maki is said to have been conceived by Hiroyasu Sasaki, who later opened "Sushi Sasaki" in Ginza, during his time working at "Kanpachi." The style reportedly combined boiled komatsuna with natto and seasoned it with salt.

From the late 1980s onward, it spread nationwide along with the growth of conveyor-belt sushi and convenience stores. By a 2009 survey it had become a standard product at the various convenience-store chains, and it also commands high support as a natto dish made at home.

The natto filling is basically chopped before rolling, though some shops keep the beans whole. It is seasoned with soy sauce, wasabi, and salt, and green onion, oba (perilla), cucumber, and bonito flakes are often added. Even for those who dislike its distinctive stickiness or smell, wrapping it in nori is said to make it easier to eat.