“Onigiri” and “melon bread” are popular in Paris

Last Updated on 10/31/2021 by てんしょく飯

Although the number of new infections with the new coronavirus in France was suppressed by the second lockdown conducted from November to December last year, it has not decreased from more than 20,000 every day even after the release, and the French government said 4 From the 3rd of March, the third lockdown was carried out for all areas.

When I went to the opera area in Paris, where eating and drinking in restaurants and bars has been banned since the end of October last year, there were many Parisians seeking Japanese food. This time, I would like to introduce “Japanese fast food,” which is currently attracting attention in France.

“Japanese sandwiches” that can be easily eaten anywhere

In France today, the business style of restaurants and cafes is limited to take-out only, and if you go out, you will have a hard time having lunch. From the latter half of February, when the temperature gradually increased and it became a comfortable season to spend outside, many Parisians were seen eating take-out meals on the roadside such as parks, benches on the street, and stairs in front of the Opera.

Japanese food has been popular in Paris for a long time, and sushi and ramen are typical examples, but in recent years, “rice balls” have joined the ranks. At the rice ball specialty store “OMUSUBI GOMBEI”, which is always crowded in the opera area, which is an area with many Japanese restaurants in Paris, there was already a line on the day of the interview, despite the early hours on weekdays. The store is an overseas branch of “Omusubi Gonbei,” which has many stores in Japan.

When I asked the clerk, the most popular ones were spicy chicken, shrimp tempura rice balls, and fried chicken on the side menu.

Also, looking at the menu table, there is a description that rice balls that do not use wheat are gluten-free compatible, and that if you choose ingredients such as plums and kelp, they will be vegan compatible, which is a recent food trend. It seems that the affinity of is also high.

In addition, it is easy to carry, and it is a healthy meal that can be eaten easily anywhere, so it may be easier to accept in the current French environment where you can not eat and drink in the store.

The ingredients for rice balls in supermarkets in Paris are …

From last summer, rice balls have been on sale at the major supermarket “MONOPRIX”. The difference from the above-mentioned “OMUSUBI GOMBEI” rice balls is that the rice is vinegared rice. And the ingredients are wide, including tuna mayo, spicy tuna mayo, beef teriyaki, salmon cream cheese, chicken mayonnaise, cucumber hummus (vegan compatible), and vegetables (vegan compatible), which are also completely localized.

The packaging is the same style as Japanese convenience stores. It seems that being able to eat crispy seaweed rice balls is linked to the brand name “SHAKI SHAKI”. And the official website introduces “Japanese sandwiches”, and it is also impressive that the opening method is carefully explained on the back of the package and on the official website.

I remember hearing that “French people don’t like seaweed” before, but Japanese animation is popular in France, and the chances of seeing characters eating rice balls have increased dramatically. Awareness seems to be spreading.

The price is not cheap at 3.4 euros (about 440 yen) per piece, but even now, more than eight months after its release, it is still popular because a large number of rice balls are displayed at “MONOPRIX” near a large park. It can be seen that is well established.