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Hizunamasu ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Iwate Prefecture

    Hizunamasu

Hizunamasu

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  • Hizunamasu

    Image provider: Iwate Prefecture Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department, Agricultural Extension Engineering Division

  • Main lore areas

    The Sanriku coastal area and the central region of the prefecture

  • Main ingredients used

    Salmon head, daikon radish, carrot, vinegar, and salt

  • History/origin/related events

    Iwate Prefecture boasts top-class catches of autumn salmon in Honshu. In particular, the Tsugaruishi River is a clear stream that flows into the innermost part of Miyako Bay and is famous as a river where salmon swim upstream. The mouths of male salmon caught in this area bend when the spawning season approaches from mid-November to late January, hence the name “Nambu Hanamagari (southern crooked-nose) Salmon.” It was an important source of revenue for the Nanbu domain during the Edo period, and has been loved by the people of the prefecture for a long time, which led to it now being designated as the “prefectural fish.”
    “Hizu” refers to the cartilage of the head of a salmon, and even in the "Engishiki" (926) published by the Imperial Court in the early Heian period, there is a description that the "hizu" was dedicated to the Imperial Court, showing that it has been eaten since ancient times.
    "Hizunamasu" is made by turning the "hizu" into "namasu" and is a vinegared dish that is an essential New Year's dish. It is a valuable part that can only be harvested in small quantities from one fish and is prized as a delicacy.
    Salmon is a fish that can be eaten in its entirety except for the gills, and when salmon was plentiful, people would buy a whole fish and each family would cook a dish using each part. Among these ways of eating it, "hizunamasu" is a dish that allows you to eat all the blessings from the sea and feel respect for nature. Other than raw salmon, the heads of salt-cured and salted salmon can also be used after desalting. It is characterized by its crunchy texture.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    It is eaten as a New Year’s dish. During the salmon season, it is enjoyed as a side dish with sake and is sometimes served as a hospitality dish with salmon roe on top.

  • How to eat

    Thinly slice only the "hizu (cartilage)"" of the raw salmon head, sprinkle with salt, let it sit for a while, soak in vinegar, and combine with daikon radish or carrot "namasu". In the Sanriku coastal area, salmon roe is sometimes added on top, for more splendor. After removing the "hizu", the head can also be eaten by boiling it with soybeans or kelp, or making it into "namasu" or fish head soup.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    Even now, you can buy it at major fish stores and supermarkets during the salmon season and before the New Year. It is also commercialized by local manufacturers and can be purchased online as well. "Hizu" has attracted attention in recent years because it contains an abundance of components important for skin and cartilage, such as collagen, chondroitin, and proteoglycans, and these components are also used in cosmetics and functional foods.

RECIPE

Ingredients (5 servings)

  • Raw salmon heads 2
  • Vinegar 2 tbsp.
  • Radish 100g
  • Carrot 30g
  • Vinegar 2 tbsp.
  • Sugar 1／2 tbsp.
  • Salt 2／3 tsp.

How to cook

  • 1. Rinse the noses of the raw salmon heads with water thoroughly and scrape them off with a kitchen knife with the skin still attached.

  • 2. Slice 1 thinly, rub with salt (not listed in the ingredients), wash with water, and soak in vinegar.

  • 3. Cut the radish and carrot into strips and soak in salt water to soften them.

  • 4. Squeeze the water out of 3, combine with the hizu from 2, and season with vinegar, sugar, and salt.

provider : "Let's Eat Iwate’s Local Cuisine and Food Craftsmanship" (Hiroko Miura)

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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