🍱 Osezushi

Toyama Prefecture has a wide variety of oshizushi, such as trout sushi and sasazushi. Osezushi, whose name is said to have originated from a mispronunciation of “oshizushi,” is one such variety. It is a dish that is especially popular in the Shinkawa area, such as Uozu City and Kurobe City, where the mountainous area facing Toyama Bay has a large elevation difference with mountains as tall as 2,000m. Grilled mackerel flakes are seasoned with sweet vinegar, sandwiched between vinegared rice, topped with nori, pressed down with a heavy stone, and left overnight. One of its characteristics is that it is cut into squares. It is said that in the olden days, “osezushi ”started off as fish sandwiched between rice and was called “fish rice.” People began to use vinegared rice and thus, it transformed to its present form. Mackerel is commonly used, but some households use horse mackerel, deep sea smelt, salmon, and other seasonal fish.