Uramaki

Uramaki (裏巻, "inside-out roll") is a medium-sized cylindrical piece, with two or more fillings. Uramaki differs from other makimono because the rice is on the outside and the nori inside. The filling is in the center surrounded by nori, then a layer of rice, and an outer coating of some other ingredients such as roe or toasted sesame seeds. It can be made with different fillings such as tuna, crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise, cucumber, carrots.

Uramaki was created because Americans had trouble eating nori. While Americans dining in the early sushi bars enjoyed the food, they preferred to not see the seaweed. To remedy this, the pioneering Chef Mashita at Tokyo Kaikan in Little Tokyo created the inside-out roll. This development is widely believed to have fueled sushi's early success in the United States, and has led to hundreds of variations on the first uramaki.

Interestingly, the American-style uramaki sushi is beginning to find its way across the Atlantic to Japan. Bringing innovations in sushi-making back to the traditional styles in Japan is another step in the cuisine's evolution.^[17]