🍱 Nishin no Konbumaki(herring rolled in kelp)

The Noto Peninsula, which juts out into the Sea of Japan, has long been a key point in maritime transport, and trade and cultural exchange with people outside the region have flourished. In particular, the "Kitamaebune" that were active during the Edo period (1603 - 1868) had a major impact on food culture. The Kitamaebune were a group of merchant ships that traveled between Hokkaido and Osaka via the Sea of Japan. Rice and marine products from Hokkaido and the Hokuriku regions were sold in Osaka, and on the voyage to Hokkaido, the ships were loaded with sundry goods and liquor from Osaka. The Noto area was a port of call for Kitamaebune, where all kinds of goods from all over Japan were brought in. Herring and kelp were especially plentiful in the supplies from Hokkaido. The kelp and herring brought by the Kitamaebune appear in the celebratory song "Nanao Madara no Wakiuta", sung in a traditional May event of the "Seihaku-sai" festival in Nanao City, Noto region. Kitamaebune's herring are brought in after being processed to be dried for preservation. In a large port town in Noto, there was a herring warehouse to store the herring. The traditional dish using the dried herring and kelp is "Nishin no Konbumaki” (herring rolled in kelp). It is made by wrapping kelp around a core of rehydrated herring and stewing it in a salty-sweet sauce.