# Koayu-no-sanshoni ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Koayu-no-sanshoni

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
The entire prefecture

## Main Ingredients Used
Koayu, Japanese peppercorns, soy sauce, mirin, etc.

## History, Origin, and Related Events
“Koayu-no-sanshoni” is a dish that has been handed down since ancient times. Koayu, a specialty of Lake Biwa which can be caught from May to early August, is used to make a sweet and salty tsukudani. Koayu, moroko, gori, and other fish are used for lake fish tsukudani. Freshwater fish have a unique odor, so ginger and Japanese pepper are often boiled together to eliminate that odor. In addition, care has been taken to prevent it from falling apart while simmering, such as using starch syrup and not turning the pot over. The method of cooking this lake fish tsukudani differs depending on the region and household, so each family can bring its own tsukudani and enjoy the taste of each family’s version. In 1998, lake fish tsukudani was selected as a “property of Shiga’s food culture,” an intangible folk cultural property of Shiga Prefecture.The ayu that live in Lake Biwa grow only to about 7 cm in length due to the food they eat, so they are called koayu. The texture is also soft, making it an easy-to-eat fish. When koayu in Lake Biwa go upstream, they eat sphagnum moss and grow to a size of about 20 cm, so from long ago, fry have been shipped all over the country and released into rivers.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Koayu begin to be caught around May and are at their peak until around early August, so they can be eaten from spring to summer. However, lake fish tsukudani such as“ koayu-no-sanshoni” are processed before being sold, so you can eat them all year round.

## How to Eat
After washing the fish, it is put in a pot, seasonings such as soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar are added, and it is heated until it boils. Once it boils, the heat is lowered and umeboshi and Japanese pepper are added. After boiling with a drop lid, mirin is added and it is steamed. It is transferred from the pot to a bowl and left to cool. The method of cooking koayu varies depending on the region, household, and manufacturer. There is also a method of adding more seasonings to allow more room in the broth and to cook the fish until it is crispy so that it will be glossy for tsukudani when served.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
Even now, it is often made at home and passed down from parent to child, and there are also opportunities to make it in home economics classes at school, so it is also popular among the younger generation. In addition, seasonal koayu can be caught from May to early August, but it is also available at restaurants and supermarkets, so it can be eaten all year round.

## Ingredients
- Koayu: 1kg
- Soy sauce: 150ml
- Sugar: 200g
- Sake: 200ml
- Umeboshi: 1
- Vinegar: 30ml
- Mirin: 50ml
- Japanese peppercorns: 20g

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash and drain the fish.
2. 2. Put the fish in a pot, add soy sauce, sugar, sake, and vinegar, heat it up, and when it boils, turn the heat down to medium and add the umeboshi and Japanese pepper.
3. 3. Bring to a gentle boil, cover with a drop lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. 4. Add mirin and steam over low heat for another 10 minutes.
5. 5. Remove from the pot while it is still hot, strain the broth, and let the fish cool.

## Provider Information
provider : Recipe provider name: Shiga Food Culture Study Group

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