🍲 Kobuna-no-kanroni (Sweet and Savory Simmered Small Crucian Carp)

Saku City, located in the eastern part of the prefecture, is situated near the border with Gunma Prefecture and is blessed with clean water sources suitable for cultivating freshwater fish such as crucian carp and carp in rice fields. Practices such as "Suiden Yofuna" (cultivating crucian carp in paddy fields) and "Suiden Yori" (cultivating carp in paddy fields) were carried out. Previously harvested as a byproduct, crucian carp became the preferred choice for cultivation over carp due to its lower maintenance requirements with the progress of paddy field rotation. In the local area, around September, small crucian carp, approximately 5 cm in size, are alive and packed for sale. The word "Small Crucian Carp" can be seen in various places around the town. Small crucian carp are simmered in a sweet and savory sauce made with soy sauce and sugar. When bought (or caught in the rice fields), the small crucian carp is washed thoroughly, cooked in a pot while still alive, and enjoyed with freshly harvested rice. The slight bitterness of the small crucian carp imparts the sense of autumn. In landlocked Shinshu, surrounded by mountains with abundant water sources such as the Chikuma River, Kiso River, Tenryu River, freshwater fish thrive in rivers and lakes. Eating these fish and developing a unique mountainous culinary culture has been a tradition. In Shinshu, there is a custom of simmering river fish in a sweet and savory sauce and eating them as a side dish. Local dishes like "Sweet and Savory Simmered Carp" in Saku and "Sweet and Savory Simmered Smelt" in Lake Suwa have taken root as regional specialties in Shinshu. Simmered river fish, which can be eaten whole, are not only rich in calcium but were also a valuable source of protein in the past.