ついつい誰かに話したくなってしまう日本のこと。
今回は和食をフカボリ！
『おにぎり』を説明してみましょう。

まずはKey Words & Phrasesから。

テーマに関連する語句

rice ball（おにぎり）
shape into ～（《～の形に》にぎる・形作る）
filling（具）　
cylinder（円柱《俵型》）　　
dried seaweed（海苔）
dried bonito flakes（鰹節の削り粉）

一般的な語句

catch on（人気が出る・広まる）　
specialty（自慢の品）　
become accepted（受け入れられるようになる）
come in handy（重宝する）
non-perishable（腐りにくい・保存が効く）　
gain popularity（人気を得る）
flavored with（～で味付けされた）
to name a few（２～３例を挙げると）
in recorded history（歴史の記録によると）
in any case（いずれにせよ）

続いて、今回のテーマに挑戦！

Did you know that Japanese rice balls are becoming more popular outside Japan?
（日本のおにぎりが海外でも人気になりつつあるって知ってましたか？）

・Rice ball, also known as onigiri is one of the simplest and most convenient Japanese traditional foods.
・Onigiri is made from cooked rice shaped into balls, triangles or cylinders, and it is usually wrapped with dried seaweed.
・One of the reasons for its popularity is a variety of fillings, varying from classic to modern ingredients.
・Onigiri has been well-known as one of the conbini snacks among visitors from overseas, and it is starting to catch on outside of the country as well.
・It is an amazing fact that one of the Japanese specialties is becoming accepted worldwide.

3 Questions for Digging Deeper! 《 もっと掘り下げてみよう！ 》

What fillings can you put in onigiri?
（どんな具材をおにぎりに使っていいの？）

Common and traditional onigiri fillings include pickled plums, dried bonito flakes and salted kelp. These ingredients come in handy when making onigiri, as they are easy to prepare and many households keep them ready in the kitchen because they are non-perishable. In addition to traditional ingredients, some unique fillings have gained popularity such as tuna, cod roe and shrimp, flavored with mayonnaise.

What onigiri fillings are popular outside of Japan?
（海外で人気のあるおにぎりの具材は？）

It seems that some popular fillings in Japan, such as tuna and mayonnaise are also accepted in other countries. It is probably due to non-Japanese being familiar with these ingredients and taste. Besides that, original recipes have been developed to suit local tastes. To name a few, original fillings include salmon with cream cheese in France and spicy chicken in the U.S.

Incidentally, since when do people in Japan eat onigiri regularly?
（ちなみに、日本ではいつからおにぎりを食べるようになったの？）

In recorded history, the original form of onigiri was thought to be eaten over 2000
years ago. It is said that sticky rice was used for the onigiri in ancient times and the current style of onigiri spread among people after the 19th century. In any case, onigiri is a familiar food for most Japanese people.

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寿司やラーメンに続いて、おにぎりも海外で人気を博しているようですね。とっさに英語で説明できるようにBBTOで練習しておきましょう！

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