【Reading】Shrimpてんまき

【English Name】Shrimp tempura roll

Ebiten maki (shrimp tempura roll) is a form of sushi made by rolling battered, deep-fried shrimp with vinegared rice and nori. Its appeal lies in the contrast woven by the crispness of the fried batter and the refreshing acidity of the vinegared rice, and it has taken root as a thoroughly standard popular item at conveyor-belt sushi chains.

Turning to Ise City, Mie Prefecture, a local dish called "tenmaki," in which shrimp tempura is rolled in nori, has been handed down since old times and long beloved as part of the local food culture. In recent years that food culture has been spreading throughout Mie Prefecture. However, whether the ebiten maki seen at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants nationwide derives from the Ise-born tenmaki has not been confirmed at present.

Tracing the origin of tempura leads to the batter-frying cooking technique introduced from Portugal in the 16th century. It spread to the common people as street-stall food in the Edo period, and shrimp such as kuruma-ebi and shiba-ebi came to be positioned as representative tempura ingredients. Ebiten maki can be said to be a modern sushi style born from the fusion of such tempura culture and rolled-sushi culture.

In terms of ingredients, variations adding lettuce, cucumber, avocado, and the like are also widely seen, and a style of accompanying it with mayonnaise or a tentsuyu-based sauce is common. It is also actively adopted at overseas sushi restaurants, increasingly raising its international recognition as a dish symbolizing Japanese rolled sushi.