# Fuku Sashi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Fuku Sashi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Shimonoseki Area, Hagi Area

## Main Ingredients Used
Fugu (Puffer Fish)

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Yamaguchi Prefecture's prefectural fish is the fugu, a well-known, high-end fish that is representative of the prefecture. The Shimonoseki and Hagi areas are particularly famous for their fishing grounds, and longline fishing, the mainstay of fugu fishing, was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture and has been improved over the years. The Shimonoseki area has a particularly long history of fugu eating, and is known as the home of fugu, with a high concentration of processing plants and restaurants, and natural and cultured fugu from all over the country. There was once a time when eating fugu was prohibited. This was because Hideyoshi Toyotomi issued a ban on eating fugu after a soldier died from eating fugu during his expedition to Korea. Later, Hirobumi Ito was impressed by the taste of fugu, and the ban was lifted only in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1888. The first restaurant officially authorized to serve fugu cuisine, Shunpanro, is also famous as the site where the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty was concluded. Nevertheless, it is said that the general public still ate fugu, and at that time it was sometimes used as an ingredient in miso soup. After the ban on eating fugu was lifted, the city of Shimonoseki, the site of the ban, developed along with fugu. In the Shimonoseki area, fugu is called "fuku" in reference to good luck and fortune, and its sashimi is called "fuku sashimi. The sashimi is sliced thin enough to be seen through, and is served in a variety of ways, such as "Kiku-zari," which looks like a chrysanthemum flower, and "Tsuru-zari," which resembles a crane.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
The fishing season is limited to September through March, as the number of natural torafugu is decreasing every year. For this reason, torafugu is a favorite winter delicacy. Also, because it is a high-class fish, it is often eaten on special occasions such as celebrations.

## How to Eat
Cut and thinly slice the fugu. Serve with a combination of citrus and soy sauce in a ponzu (Japanese citrus) sauce along with other condiments such as asa-tsuki and grated momiji (grated daikon radish). Ponzu is made from ponkan orange, daidai, green daidai, or other citrus fruits. Because fugu is poisonous, only licensed fugu chefs are allowed to cook it. The name of a fugu chef varies from prefecture to prefecture, as do the contents of the examinations and the range of cooking allowed. It is not a national qualification.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)It is eaten at home and served at restaurants and inns in the prefecture. In 2016, "Shimonoseki fuku" was registered under the national "Geographical Indication (GI) Protection System," which aims to protect the names of regional agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and foods. This was the first registration for a marine product.

## Ingredients
- Fugu (minced fugu)Please be sure to use only minced fugu prepared by a licensed fugu chef.: 200g

## Recipe
1. 1. Cut the fish into 3 pieces.
2. 2. Cut off the muscle (red part).
3. 3. Remove the skin.
4. 4. Split into two.
5. 5. Cut the flesh with a knife at a slight angle to thinly slice the fish, and place on a plate.Add grated maple leaf, small green onions, and other condiments of your choice, and serve with ponzu (Japanese sauce made from ponzu citrus juice). (not included in the quantities).

## Provider Information
Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

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