A new word entered the Oxford English Dictionary this year: onigiri (oh-nee-GEER-ee). That’s the name for a sticky-rice ball from Japan.

Maybe you’ve tried Japanese dishes ramen and sushi. Would you try onigiri too? In Japan, onigiri is an everyday food. It’s a fast food, because you can find it even at convenience stores. At the same time, it’s a slow food because it uses ingredients harvested from the sea and the mountains. Some also call onigiri soul food. That’s because families often make and eat it together. No forks, spoons, knives, or chopsticks required. All you need are gently cupped hands.

Onigiri is new to the dictionary. But it’s an old, old food. It is believed to go back at least as far as the early 11th century.

What exactly goes into onigiri? It’s mostly sticky Japanese rice.

What’s placed inside is called “gu,” or filling. Some favorite “gu” is umeboshi (salted plum) or mentaiko (hot, spicy fish eggs). But really, anything can go into onigiri, even sausages or cheese. Then the ball is wrapped with seaweed.

Onigiri can be round or square, animal or star-shaped.

Watch an onigiri maker at work. He places the hot rice in triangular molds that look like cookie cutters. He rubs salt on his hands and then cups the rice three times to gently firm the sides. The crisp nori (seaweed) is wrapped like a kerchief around the rice, with one end up so it stays crunchy.

The first bite is just nori and rice. The gu comes with the second bite.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! — Psalm 34:8