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Fermented Sweetfish Sushi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Gifu Prefecture

    Fermented Sweetfish Sushi

Fermented Sweetfish Sushi

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  • Fermented Sweetfish Sushi

    Image Provider: Kiwami of Gifu

  • Main lore areas

    Gifu City

  • Main ingredients used

    Sweetfish, rice, salt

  • History/origin/related events

    “Fermented sweetfish sushi,” a preserved sweetfish dish, is a fermented food made by stuffing sweetfish full of freshly cooked rice and pickling it in a barrel for about two months. Salt, sweetfish, and rice are pickled with the help of bacteria, and the meal provides a valuable source of protein in the winter and increases the shelf life of the seasonal fish.
    The first thing that comes to one’s mind upon thinking of sweetfish in Gifu is cormorant fishing, with a history said to be over 1300 years old. “Nagara River Cormorant Fishing'' was supposedly used by Oda Nobunaga to convey hospitality. In the Edo period, sweetfish caught while cormorant fishing was used to make ayu-zushi (fermented sweetfish sushi) and presented to the Tokugawa Shogunate family. Today, the road along which the ayu-zushi was transported is called Ayu-zushi Highway, or Sushi Highway.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    The sweetfish that stay upstream during the summer and move downstream in the fall to spawn are called “ochiayu,” and are often used to make fermented sweetfish sushi. In particular, “roe-containing sweetfish” are highly valued, and it’s said that the umami from its internal organs make it milder and easier to eat. After maturation has been reached, the fish can be enjoyed throughout the year. The fishermen families in which the manufacturing techniques have been passed down still pass the meal along to people they’re indebted to on New Year’s Day.

  • How to eat

    Around September, the ochiayu are cut open and marinated in salt for about 2 months. The salt is removed in early December and the stomach of the fish is filled with freshly cooked rice. In a prepared wooden bucket, pickle the rice-stuffed sweetfish in 3-4 layers, cover the bucket with a bamboo skin, then place a stone weight on the lid and allow the fish to ferment naturally. The fish completes maturation after roughly two months, with the help of lactic acid bacteria. While male sweetfish are often used, female sweetfish holding eggs are said to be exceptional, with a mellow taste.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    While not commonly made these days, it can be enjoyed throughout the year at certain restaurants in Gifu City. In 2015, the Satokawa system and the upper and middle portions of the Nagara river, where the culinary tradition of fermented sweetfish sushi has been cultivated, was named the “Ayu of Nagara River” and was recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.

RECIPE

Ingredients (easy-to-make amount)

  • Sweetfish preferred amount
  • Salt moderate amount
  • Rice moderate amount
  • Water moderate amount

How to cook

  • 1. Wash the ochiayu (sweetfish that spawn downriver in autumn) thoroughly, then open the stomach and remove the innards.

  • 2. Pickle the sweetfish in salt to remove water from the body. Put the sweetfish in tupperware and layer salt on top, then cover and store in the refrigerator (about 1 month).

  • 3. Remove the salt thoroughly under running water, then dry in the shade. Once dried, fill the belly with cooked rice.

  • 4. Wash cooked rice and place on the bottom of a bucket. Place the rice-filled sweetfish on top, then, without leaving any gaps, cover the sweetfish with more rice. (2 months to 1 year)

provider : The Best of Gifu

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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Address : 1-2-1,Kasumigaseki,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 100-8950,Japan.

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