For anyone not familiar with Japanese cuisine, a hand roll is a type of sushi that is left whole and isn’t cut into pieces like makizushi. Also known as temaki, it’s made with a single cone-shaped piece of seaweed on the outside and some type of fish on the inside. Because it’s large and difficult to eat with chopsticks, it’s often called a hand roll.

If you’d like to experience this dish in all its beauty, then observing National Hand Roll Day might be right up your alley. This holiday is celebrated on July 6th every year and encourages everyone who’s a fan of sushi to try one of these rolls.

The History of National Hand Roll Day

This holiday was created by the Sushi Nozawa Group—a company that opened the original hand roll bar known as KazuNori. The holiday, on the other hand, was established in 2019 and it commemorates the day on which the original hand roll was made in the U.S. in the early 1980s.

Tantalizing Facts About Sushi

Since we’re on the subject of sushi, it might be a good time to lay down some facts about sushi that we’ve learned over the course of the last few years. So without further ado, below are some sushi facts that we think most people will find tantalizing.

• Sushi is believed to have originated in China around 500 B.C.
• Up until 1923, sushi was considered Japanese street food.
• There are six different types of sushi.
• Sushi is a healthy food that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Observing National Hand Roll Day

Head out to your favorite sushi bar and order this dish, or try making it in your own kitchen. That’s up to you. Once that’s done, snap a picture of your hand roll and let everyone see it by posting it to social media using the hashtag #HandRollDay. Oh, and don’t forget the soy sauce!