【Reading】にぎり

【English Name】Nigiri

Nigiri refers to sushi made by placing a sushi topping (neta) on top of a small ball of vinegared rice (shari-dama) and shaping it by hand. Formally called "nigiri-zushi," it has become so representative that today "sushi" is virtually synonymous with nigiri.

Its origin is said to date to the late Edo period, around the Bunsei era (circa 1818–1830), and the theory that it was devised by Hanaya Yohei is widely known. It is said that shrimp oboro was originally used as a topping. At the time of its birth it was a food for common people sold at street stalls, and is said to have been about two to three times the size of today's nigiri.

In Edomae nigiri, it is characteristic that the toppings undergo preparatory work such as simmering, steaming, zuke (marinating), kombujime (kelp-curing), and suarai (vinegar washing), and red vinegar was used for the shari. The toppings were broadly classified into three categories—simmered types (anago, ebi, etc.), hikarimono (kohada, aji, etc.), and those for sashimi—but with the development of refrigeration technology, raw toppings became mainstream.

The ideal of nigiri is that it "does not fall apart when picked up with chopsticks, yet comes apart in the mouth." Since 1981, shari-dama forming machines have been developed, and machine-formed nigiri has also become widespread at conveyor-belt sushi chains and the like.