In France, the smallest Japanese restaurant offers sushi, but you very rarely find onigiri, delicious little stuffed rice balls very common in the Archipelago. Ai Watanabe and his companion, Samuel Trifot, decided to correct this mistake by becoming the unofficial ambassadors of this specialty in Paris.
The 30-year-old couple have already done a lot for the cause by offering cooking workshops, opening the Gili-Gili restaurant in the Pigalle district in 2018, a small specialty shop (the room consists of a counter and two stools) and by publishing a book: Onigiri, Japanese stuffed rice balls (First, 2020).
Tandem in the kitchen and couple in life, Ai Watanabe and Samuel Trifot met in Sydney, Australia. She, from a dynasty of chefs and rice farmers, already had a special relationship with the product, but Samuel Trifot, a fan of manga (which often features characters who taste themselves), a backpacker who often prepares meatballs of rice during his hikes , also knew the Japanese specialty. “He offered to open an onigiri restaurant before he even asked me to marry him”laughs Ai Watanabe.
Their establishment, cramped as it is, opens horizons to curious gourmets who discover a small taste surprise in each scoop: umeboshi (small dried and salted plum), kombu (edible seaweed) or tuna mayonnaise, today one of the most popular toppings on the Archipelago.
What does the term “onigiri” mean in Japanese?
Ai Watanabe: “Onigiri” comes from the verb “nigiri” : “grab”. When shaping a rice ball, the gesture, the contact of the hand with the food, is very important. The Japanese, under the spiritual influence of Shintoism and Buddhism, are convinced that a chef can convey love and emotion in food, with his hands. We usually say that the main ingredient in a good onigiri is love; It might sound a little cliche, but it’s true. Onigiri is the archetype of soul food Japanese (“soul food”): if filled with good vibes, it fills the body and mind of the person who eats it with energy.
It is said that this Japanese snack is millennial…
AW: The oldest trace of onigiri is a fossil found in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is nearly 2,000 years old. At the time, this food could also constitute an offering to the gods or a protection against bad luck.
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