A rice ball may be any kind of food item made from

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a ball shape. Rice balls exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten, and are particularly prevalent in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

. Rice balls are a convenient and portable food that can be eaten on the go, making them a popular choice for picnics, road trips, and packed lunches. They are also often enjoyed as a snack or side dish with meals. The rice may be seasoned with a variety of ingredients, such as salt,

furikake is a dry Japanese condimentJapanese Furikake (Rice Seasoning)
. Japanese Kitchen. Accessed 28 ...

, or other seasonings, and may also be filled with a variety of fillings, such as fish, meat, or vegetables.

Types of rice balls

Types of rice ball include: * Arancini, an Italian fried rice ball coated with

breadcrumbs Bread crumbs or breadcrumbs (regional variants including breading and crispies) consist of crumbled bread of various dryness, sometimes with seasonings added, used for breading or crumbing foods, topping casseroles, stuffing poultry, thick ...

. *

Jumeok-bap ''Jumeok-bap'' (), sometimes jumeokbap, is a Korean rice dish made from a lump of cooked rice made into a round loaf the shape of a fist. Rice balls are a common item in '' dosirak'' (a packed meal) and often eaten as a light meal, between-me ...

, a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

rice ball from cooked rice formed into oval shapes. * Omo tuo, a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard Diet (nutrition), diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of ...

that is more smooth and soft due to its higher volume of water, usually eaten with peanut soup. *

Onigiri , also known as , , or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in ''nori''. Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume ('' umeboshi''), salted salmon, kats ...

, (お握り), a Japanese rice ball made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes. *

Pinda Pinda may refer to: People * Emmanuel Pinda (born 1961), French karate practitioner * Kingsley Pinda (born 1992), French basketball player * Mizengo Pinda (born 1948), Prime Minister of Tanzania Other uses * Pinda (riceball), rice balls offered t ...

, rice balls offered to ancestors during Hindu funeral rites and

ancestor worship The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune o ...

. * Supplì, an Italian fried rice ball coated with

. * Tangyuan (汤圆), a Chinese rice ball made from glutinous

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

. *

Zongzi ''Zongzi'' (; ), ''rouzong'' () or simply ''zong'' (Cantonese Jyutping: ''zung2'') is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves (generally of the species '' Indocalamus ...

, a Chinese rice ball with different fillings and wrapped in

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

or reed leaves. * Khao tom, a Thai rice ball made with cooked rice and various fillings, wrapped in banana leaves. {{Set index article Rice dishes