[1] Maguro uzura no tamago temaki, or maguro uzura for short. Maguro means tuna, uzura means quail, and tamago means egg. Maki means roll, te means hand roll; thus, temaki (photo © Jungsik).

[2] Salmon cucumber is a popular temaki. Avocado is often substituted for the cucumber (photos #2, #3, and #4 © Maki Maki NYC).

[3] Shrimp tempura handroll with a squeeze of Kewpie mayonnaise (Japan’s favorite). Yes, you can still dip your temaki in soy sauce.

[4] The only thing better than uni-shiso (sea urchin and perilla leaf) is three uni with the shiso.

[5] Pressed sushi, formed in a wooden box, was the forerunner of nigiri and maki sushi. If you want to make sushi at home easily, get a mold and try it (photo © Irashai Store).

[6] Next came nigiri (top) and maki sushi (photo © Dev Litoon | Unsplash).

[7] Taco holders no doubt inspired the first taco-style sushi (photos #7 and #8 © Sebastian Lucrecio | Nami Nori | NYC).

[8] Phancy Philly: the original Philadelphia Roll will never be the same with a topping of caviar.

[9] We’re guessing that the cylinder-shaped hand roll was an inspiration to a sushi chef who didn’t want to cut up a regular maki (photo © Harrison Chang | Unsplash).

[10] Back to the classics (photo: The Nibble).

Updated July 2026

July 6th is National Hand Roll Day, one of our favorite fun foods, the ingredients rolled in a cone shape of dried seaweed (nori).

The Japanese word is temaki. As a sushi item, it arrived more than a century later than the ubiquitous nigiri—slices of fish atop pads of rice.

But it’s equally delicious and easier to make: a bonus if you want to roll your own at home.

Below:

> The invention of nigiri sushi.

> The history of the hand roll.

> The benefits of temaki and the “new” temaki.

> Why there is no “fresh” sushi and sashimi in the U.S.

> The year’s 6 sushi holidays.

> 11 more Japanese food holidays.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of sushi.

> Sushi Glossary: a photo glossary of the different types of sushi and sashimi.

> The history of sushi.
 
 
1. NIGIRI SUSHI IS CREATED BY HANAYA YOHEI

Why are there seem to be no sushi restaurants named for Hanaya Yohei?

This Tokyo restaurateur and chef (1799–1858) is generally credited as the inventor of Tokyo-style sushi, edomaezushi* in Japanese or nigiri sushi at the end of the Edo period, around 1824. He is also regarded as the inventor of modern sushi (see the footnote** below).

For centuries prior to the 1800s, fermented forms of sushi such as narezushi, had been eaten in Japan. Salt-cured fish and fermented rice that relies on lactic acid fermentation rather than vinegar, it is considered the original ancestor of modern sushi.

Next came oshizushi, known in English as pressed sushi or box sushi. Originating in Osaka, it’s made by pressing layers of sushi rice and toppings into a rectangular mold called an oshibako. This creates a compact, layered block of sushi that’s sliced into squares (photo #5).

Nigiri—Hanaya Yohei’s creation—is the most popular form of sushi today. It literally means “two fingers,” which refers to the typical size and the hand-pressing technique used to create it (see this video).

It also can be easily be picked up by two fingers, the thumb and index finger, without the need for chopsticks.

That made it an excellent food for gamblers, who didn’t have to put down the cards or the dice as they ate. It was also casual fare for those who didn’t want a sit-down meal but could eat quickly at a street-side sushi cart.
 
 
Why Hanaya Yohei Marinated Or Slightly Cooked The Sushi

Even though Tokyo is a coastal city and the fish freshly-caught, food safety was a concern before the advent of refrigeration (which didn’t get to Japan until after World War II).

To prevent spoilage, Hanaya either slightly cooked or marinated the fish in soy sauce or vinegar. He then placed the sliced fish on vinegared rice balls (su = vinegar, shi = rice) that were large, by today’s standard.

His predecessors and contemporaries making oshizushi (pressed sushi) similarly prepared their fish by curing, fermenting, marinating, or pickling.

Note that even today, in the U.S. and elsewhere, fish must be frozen before served. Before the FDA instituted this ruling, fish such as mackerel, salmon, and herring needed to be marinated to kill the parasites they contained.

> There’s more about the U.S. fresh fish protocols below.
 
 
2. THE HISTORY OF THE HAND ROLL (TEMAKI)

Scholarship can’t determine when the earliest people on the island of what is now Japan—the hunter-gatherers of the Jōmon Period—had access to wild rice. We do know that grains of it have been dated to the 11th century B.C.E.

Evidence does show that the cultivation of rice in Japan began approximately 2,800 years ago, about 775 B.C.E.

While the island is surrounded by waters full of fish, the first hard evidence we have of salted fish served with cooked rice dates to 700 C.E.—1,474 years after rice cultivation began.

But the sushi trail is easier to follow after that. First we jump to:

 
Ironically, although temaki is arguably even better suited to eating by hand, Japanese dining customs today generally favor eating it at a sushi counter or table rather than while walking.

The down-side is that temaki needs to be made to order because the nori softens quickly after it contacts the moisture of the rice. This makes it less practical for traditional street vending than nigiri.

For consumers:

 
 
The “New” Temaki

You may have noticed two recent developments in temaki: taco-style sushi (photos #7 and #8) and the cylinder or cigar shape (photos #9 and #11).

We can’t pin down who created the taco-style sushi, although it was pretty recent and seems to have emerged organically from the fusion cuisine movement.

In 2024, Alvin Zhang, owner of Engawa Fusion in Sacramento, created the restaurant so he could have Japanese and Mexican cuisine in one dish. The sushi taco was a big hit.
 

[11] It’s negi-hamachi (yellowtail-scallion, but it’s not a cut roll. It’s a new style of hand roll, and it doesn’t even have an official name. We call it the cigar or the cylinder hand roll (photo © Kuidaore Handroll Bar | Oakland, California).
 
 
3. THERE IS NO “FRESH SUSHI” IN THE U.S.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has specific regulations requiring that most fish intended to be eaten raw—sushi, sashimi, ceviche, or tartare—must be frozen prior to serving to kill parasites.

Freezing is not about bacteria: Proper handling is still crucial. Freezing is specifically to eliminate parasites, which would normally be destroyed by heat in cooking.

Per the FDA Food Code, unless the fish is specifically exempt, it must be frozen by one of the following methods:

 
Restaurants are typically required to keep records or supplier certifications to verify proper freezing or exemption.

Many states and municipalities adopt the FDA Food Code, and some may impose stricter rules.
 
Exemptions From Freezing

Certain fish do not need to be frozen before serving raw if they meet the following conditions:

 
_____________

*Edomaezushi, referring Tokyo-style sushi, is a broader category that includes nigiri. Even before nigiri appeared, all the fish used in pressed sushi and other styles were caught in Tokyo Bay (Edo is the old name for Tokyo and mae means front, as in waterfront). Edomaezushi was created in the 1820s to meet the need for fast food (grab-and-go). It includes specific preparation methods like aging, curing, and marinating fish.

Nigiri is a subcategory of edomaezushi. It was a revolution in format: hand-shaped rice patties topped with fish, instead of rice molded in a box (photo #5). It’s the most common form of edomaezushi today.

**Modern sushi includes nigiri (a slice of fish on a pad of seasoned rice), maki (roll, or cut roll, made in regular and large [diameter] sizes), and temaki, hand roll. A maki is usually wrapped in a sheet of seaweed (nori), but specialty versions are wrapped in a thin, crepe-like omelet, in soy paper, in thinly cut, continuous cucumber wrap; and in shiso (perilla) leaf.

Other forms considered part of modern sushi include:

Chirashi, scattered sushi where sashimi and other toppings are served over seasoned sushi rice in a bowl, rather than formed into individual pieces.

Inari sushi, a sweet, seasoned deep-fried tofu (bean curd) pouch stuffed with seasoned sushi rice. This style became popular in the Edo period along with nigiri.

Gunkan-maki, literally, “battleship roll” because the nori is rolled around an oval-shaped pad of rice (the battleship) and topped with loose ingredients like ikura (salmon caviar) or uni (sea urchin), that could not be held in place atop nigiri. This style wasn’t invented until the 1940s by Imada Yoshiaki, the founder of a famous Tokyo restaurant, Ginza Kyubey.

Uramaki is an inside-out roll: rice on the outside of the sheet of nori on the inside. It is an American sushi innovation (like the California roll, Philadelphia Roll, spicy rolls, and scores of specialty rolls like dragon rolls, rainbow rolls, volcano rolls, and countless others).

Sashimi, while technically not sushi (since it lacks the seasoned rice), is logically grouped with modern sushi styles.

**National Matcha Day is celebrated on February 6th in Japan.

†Poke, pronounced poe-KEH, is a raw fish and vegetable dish initially served as an appetizer or salad course in Hawaiian cuisine, but now popular as a main course like chirashi sushi. Although not called as such, it’s a variation of sashimi of chirashi sushi (and a relative of ceviche, crudo, tartare, and tataki) that was created in Hawaii. Here’s more about it.

††Why is there a Fresh Poke Day? Isn’t poke always fresh? Well…poke can be purchased frozen and thawed, as can sushi, and often it is pre-made in grab-and-go sushi in certain markets. Also, the fish can be pre-sliced, waiting to be mixed. So this holiday emphasizes the freshness front and center: You order it and it is sliced and mixed for you. “Fresh” signals an elevated experience, with fish that’s just been cut, and is vibrant and bursting with flavor (exactly how poke was meant to be!).
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

We brought this dish (photo #1) to a July 4th party and quite a few people proclaimed their preference for it over the coleslaw, and asked for the recipe. We love good coleslaw, but this is a more refreshing (and much less caloric) change of pace.

Serve it as a side (from a sandwich to including anything off the grill). Add a protein to turn it into a main course. We even top it with our frequent lunch go-to, a jar of flavored Tonnino tuna.

Instead of mayonnaise or vinaigrette, this slaw†† has heat and sweet notes.

Why is it called “Khmer?”

The Khmer people are native to Cambodia, where they comprise more than 95% of the population. The Khmer people have a long and rich history. The magnificent Hindu-Buddhist temple complex of Angkor Wat is a testament to the achievements of the Khmer Empire.

The contributor of this recipe, Hannah Heavener of Texas, spent her childhood in Cambodia, where it’s a favorite breakfast food. Hannah loves it as a side for lunch or dinner, “especially,” she notes, “with chicken satay.”

Thanks to Hannah and the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, which shared this recipe with us.

Because Hannah mentioned chicken satay as a perfect pairing, we include a recipe (photo #4).

We also took the liberty of garnishing our own version of the salad with roasted peanuts. Those who like more heat can choose spicy peanuts (photo #3).
 
 
KHMER PICKLED VEGETABLE SALAD

If you can’t find daikon (pronounced DYE-con) radishes, use any other radish—you don’t need to peel it. Daikon in particular (photo #6) is peeled because its skin can be slightly tough and sometimes bitter.

Daikon means “big root” in Japanese. Native to East Asia, its a member of the high-antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic Brassicaceae family.
 
Ingredients For 16 3/4-Cup Servings

For The Salad

 
For The Dressing

 
Garnish

 
Preparation
 
1. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large nonreactive† bowl.

2. COMBINE the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a 2-cup or larger glass measuring cup; microwave until warm, 2-3 minutes. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

3. TOSS the dressing with the salad. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour before serving for the flavors to meld.
 
 
SUGAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN DISHES

You may have noted that Southeast Asian cuisines—Cambodian, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese—use sugar in savory dishes. For example:

Vietnamese pho (noodle soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, and meat, often garnished with fresh herbs, bean sprouts), Thai pad thai (rice noodles, scrambled eggs, tofu or shrimp (or both), bean sprouts, and peanuts), or Malaysian char kway teow (flat rice noodles stir-fried with prawns, cockles [a type of clam], Chinese sausage, eggs, bean sprouts, and Chinese chives).

This tradition is primarily to achieve flavor balance rather than to make sweetness the dominant taste. The culinary philosophy centers on harmonizing five fundamental flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (or spicy in some traditions).

Sugar acts as a balancing agent that rounds out sharp, acidic, or salty elements, e.g. fish sauce, soy or tamarind.

 
It should be noted that sugarcane originated in New Guinea and Southeast Asia, and was used for its sweetness by humans as long as 10,000 years ago. Before India first refined cane juice into crystallized sugar circa 350 C.E.**, many of these flavor principles developed using palm sugar, coconut sugar, or other less processed sweeteners.

The Western perception that it’s “a lot of sugar” often comes from cultural differences. Western palates may be more sensitive to sweetness in savory dishes.

In Western cooking, recipes might call for a pinch of sugar, for example to balance the tomato acidity in marinara sauce. But Southeast Asian cuisines apply this principle more extensively and systematically.

By the way, the first sugar cane planted in the new world was brought by Christopher Columbus to the Dominican Republic in 1493.
 
 
> The history of sugar cane.

> The history of sugar.

> The different types of sugar, a photo glossary.

> The history of cabbage.

> 30 delicious cabbage recipes.

> The year’s 9 cabbage holidays.

[1] Crunchy,tangy, and refreshing, with as much heat as you’d like, serve this recipe over the summer and beyond (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] If you can’t find Thai chiles (prik kee nu, also called bird’s eye chile, you can easily substitute serrano chiles. See the footnote‡ for more options.

[3] We added our own garnish of crunchy roasted peanuts. If you like heat, use spicy peanuts. Here’s a recipe if you want to make your own (photo © Frank’s Red Hot)..

[4] A recipe for chicken satay with peanut sauce (photo © The Big Man’s World).

[5] Sugarcane grows from 6 to 20 feet tall (photo courtesy Genetic Literacy Project).

[6] Daikon, the Japanese radish (photo © Good Eggs).

You can tell by looking at the stalks (photo #5) that sugarcane and bamboo are related. They are both members of the grass family, Poaceae, which includes other important plants such as corn, rice, and wheat (all of the cereals are grasses).

Sugarcane’s genus and species are Saccharum officinarum, while bamboo belongs to a subfamily, Bambusoideae, and comprises numerous genera and species. Saccharum has additional, wild, species, but the one cultivated for consumption is Saccharum officinarum.
 
______________

*While this may seem like a lot of sugar, the rest of the ingredients are so low in calories that a 3/4 cup is 99 calories. Coleslaw also contains some sugar, and a 3/4 cup serving of coleslaw made with mayonnaise typically contains between 200 and 280 calories.

**Granulated sugar, as a common household item, became prevalent in Europe during the 18th century. While sugar available earlier, it was a luxury item for the wealthy. The increased production from sugar plantations established in the Caribbean and Brazil, coupled with advancements in refining techniques, led to a significant price drop and wider availability. By the 1800s, it was becoming a staple on most tables.

†A nonreactive bowl is one made from materials that do not interact with food, particularly acidic ingredients like tomatoes, citrus fruits, vinegar, and wine. This prevents the food from developing a metallic taste.

Nonreactive materials include ceramic/enamel, glass, plastics [those sold for food preparation], and stainless steel. Always use these materials when preparing or serving citrus-based desserts, guacamole, salad dressings, and sauces with acidic ingredients.

Reactive materials to avoid include cast iron and aluminum.

††Slaw is a type of salad, typically made with shredded cabbage and a creamy or vinegar-based dressing. While all slaws are salads, not all salads are slaws. Salads can have a wide variety of ingredients, dressings, and toppings, while slaw generally indicates a salad with shredded cabbage as a primary component.

‡The heat component of chiles, capsaicin, is contained in the seeds and the ribs.

Medium: Serrano peppers: If you’re looking for a less heat, Serranos typically range from 10,000 to 25,000 SHU. The green chiles are milder than the ripe red ones.

Hot: Bird’s eye chilies, a type of Thai chile, typically measure between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville scale.

Hotter: Chiltepin peppers, while innocent-looking tiny rounds, can reach up to 100,000 SHU. Habaneros are significantly hotter, ranging from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] The #1 July 4th food search: American flag cheesecake. Here’s the recipe—and it’s no bake (photo © Colby Troy).

[2] It’s easy to make a trifle. If you don’t have a glass bowl, you can borrow one. Anchor Hocking has a nice pedestal bowl for $26. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Girl Who Ate Everything).

What special foods are Americans seeking to add to their July 4th feasts?

Here’s the scoop from Google Trends, based on U.S. search data sourced from May 24 to June 24 2025.

Not surprisingly, Americans sought red, white, and blue recipes to grace their Independence Day tables.

 
 

[3] The second-most-searched was an American flag charcuterie board. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Denver Housewife).
 
> The history of July 4th holiday.

> 60 more July 4th recipes.

> 80 more cheesecake recipes.

> The history of cheesecake.

> The year’s 16 cheesecake holidays.