Why thousands in America and the UK are flocking to taste ‘Australian sushi’ for the first time: ‘This is hilarious’

It might be the most ordinary lunchtime snack in Australia – but for visitors and overseas foodies, it’s nothing short of a revelation.

Food content creator Nessa sparked a frenzy after sharing a TikTok where she describes sushi hand rolls ‘Australian sushi’ – and she’s not the first to do so.

‘This is what I like to call Australian sushi,’ she said in her video.

‘It’s a sushi roll that is not cut up into pieces and you don’t use chopsticks, you just use your hands. It comes with a little soy sauce fish packet which you just squeeze on.

‘I love this because it’s so convenient, portable, and also very cheap. I’m actually surprised that other countries don’t have this.’

In Australia, sushi hand rolls are a staple – sold at shopping centre kiosks, train stations and food courts for just a few dollars each.

Unlike traditional sushi, they’re designed to be eaten on the go, wrapped in seaweed and sealed at one end so they can be held just like a sandwich.

While the concept isn’t uniquely Australian – Japan has its own version known as ehomaki and similar rolls can be found in Hawaii and South Africa – Aussies have claimed it as a national favourite.

‘I wouldn’t say it’s “Australian sushi” because there’s a thing exactly the same in Japan called ehomaki, but yes – it’s a popular type of sushi IN Australia,’ one explained.

Many Australian locals swear by the snack and have rituals for enjoying it each week.

‘I hate going out of Australia because they don’t have this,’ one confessed.

‘I push the soy sauce fish mouth into the sushi and inject it, not put it on top,’ another said.

However, the ‘Australian sushi’ has made its way overseas, with thousands flocking to try the ‘incredible treat’ from new stores in the UK and the US.

TikTok has been flooded with videos of foodies trying it for the first time, with stores like Rolled in Manchester popping up and claiming to be the ‘first Australian Sushi joint’ in their local areas. 

Sushi Counter in New York’s West Village has been another hit, with locals flocking to the little store and live streaming their very first bite of ‘Australian-style sushi’.

‘A prerequisite of being an Australian in NYC is requesting that we do a teriyaki chicken + avo roll,’ they wrote earlier this week. 

It’s believed the surge of stores emerged after Australians travelled internationally and couldn’t find the sushi style anywhere. 

‘I went to Japan for the first time and couldn’t believe it – I felt lied to, no one had our sushi there,’ one joked.

‘I’ve just been in Japan and the whole time I just wanted Aussie sushi. We’re blessed,’ another said.

Whether you call them sushi rolls, hand rolls or ‘Australian sushi’, the simple snack has firmly cemented its place in the country’s food culture – and Aussies abroad are leading the campaign to see them sold everywhere else.

As one American fan summed it up: ‘Give it to me now, I need to try this.’