Which dried seaweed sheet is commonly used to wrap makizushi rolls? Nori is the answer. It is a thin, dried sheet of edible seaweed, usually made from red algae in the genus Pyropia, and it forms the familiar outer wrapper around makizushi and many onigiri.
Modern sheet nori is produced using a papermaking-like process: the seaweed is shredded, spread into thin layers, and rack-dried. Sheets are often toasted before eating; toasted nori is called yaki-nori. It has a crisp texture and a distinctive savory, marine flavor.
Nori has a long history in Japan. Seaweed called nori was already recorded as food and a form of taxation in the eighth century, while the familiar sheet form emerged in Edo-period Tokyo around the 1750s. Today, sheets may be plain, toasted, seasoned, or cut into strips for noodles, rice, and garnishes.
Nori is often confused with kombu, hijiki, or wakame. Kombu is a thicker kelp commonly used for dashi, while wakame is usually sold as a rehydrated ingredient for soups and salads. Nori’s paper-thin sheet structure is what makes it especially suited to wrapping sushi.