🍱 Bara zushi
Gomoku-zushi is made by chopping up ingredients such as conger eel and shiitake mushrooms and mixing them into sushi rice. According to one theory, bara-zushi originated in Okayama Prefecture, where the common people protested against the Edo period feudal lord's prohibition of "one soup and one vegetable" in order to be frugal and thrifty. In the Kanto region, sashimi and other ingredients are often placed on top of sushi rice and called "chirashi-zushi," while in the Kansai region, finely chopped ingredients are mixed into sushi rice and called "bara-zushi. Recipes vary from household to household, but sashimi is not an essential ingredient. Because it is easy to prepare and makes the dining table more colorful, it is a popular menu item for men and women of all ages. In Osaka, barazushi that is left over after being made in large quantities is steamed the next day and eaten as "steamed zushi (hot zushi). This shows the wisdom of the people of Osaka, who enjoy leftovers.