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It's not as world-famous as ramen or sushi. But the humble onigiri is soul food in Japan
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Yosuke Miura makes a rice ball with pieces of grilled salmon at Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku, Tokyo's oldest onigiri restaurant, on June 3, 2024, in Tokyo. The word "onigiri" just became part of the Oxford English Dictionary this year. The humble sticky-rice ball, a mainstay of Japanese food, has entered the global lexicon. - photo by AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
TOKYO (AP) — The word “onigiri” became part of the Oxford English Dictionary this year, proof that the humble sticky-rice ball and mainstay of Japanese food has entered the global lexicon. The rice balls are stuffed with a variety of fillings and typically wrapped in seaweed. It's an everyday dish that epitomizes “washoku” — the traditional Japanese cuisine that was designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage a decade ago.