🍚 Sanma zushi (Pacific Saury Sushi)
‘Sanma zushi' is prevailed as a local cuisine mainly in Yoshino-gun Totsukawa Village in Nara Prefecture, and was an important ‘nare-zushi', type of traditional sushi fermented with salted fish and rice, at auspicious occasions and new years. The name ‘nare-zushi' came from the Japanese word ‘nareru', means ‘'get used to' or ‘ripen' because the ingredients get ‘nareru' as they are fermented. ‘Narezushi' originally used to be one of the methods to preserve fish longer, and rice, working as fermentation accelerator, was discarded. However, rice was eaten with fish together after shortening fermentation in Muromachi Era. (AD1336~1537) The recipe for ‘Sanma zushi' in Totsukawa Village varies in north part and south part of the village. In north area, rinse sanma (=pacific saury) after pickled it with salt, then place it onto a bucket with rice cooked with salt and sake. After that, add water and salt and ferment for a long time. In south region, on the other hand, pickle salted sanma with vinegar, then put vinegar rice on top and press them together. Although the recipes are different, people from both areas use sanma with less fatty caught in Kumano Nada from late autumn to early summer. Sanma caught in Kumano Nada is a bit smaller and less fatty, and good for preservative food like ‘Sanma zushi'.