🍱 Namagusa jiru

Obama City, the center of Wakasa Bay, was the starting point of the "saba kaido" (mackerel road), which was a route used to transport fish on foot to Kyoto, called "shokuyaku" (carrying on one's back). Known since the Asuka and Nara periods as the "Miketsukuni," or "Land of Food," Obama City played an important role in the food industry, being authorized to deliver foodstuffs to the Imperial Court. In particular, of the six villages in the Miyagawa area, the Shinbo area was home to the Shinbo Mountain Castle (Kasumigajo), which made it easy to obtain foodstuffs from across the mountains. Taking advantage of this, "Namagusa-jiru" is a traditional dish that has been made only in this area. It is a "clear soup" made with grilled mackerel (whole mackerel on bamboo skewers) and has a delicious mackerel flavor and a slightly sweet taste. It used to be indispensable at the end of vegetarianism (after abstaining from meat and alcohol for a certain period of time to mourn) and celebratory occasions. Since the time of the Goshoku era, and even today, seafood from Wakasa Bay is prized throughout Japan as "Wakasa Mono" (Wakasa fish).