🍱 Hizunamasu

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.