# Ayu zushi (Sweetfish Sushi) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Ayu zushi (Sweetfish Sushi)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Along the Yoshino River

## Main Ingredients Used
Ayu (= sweetfish), rice, vinegar, etc.

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Natural ‘Ayu’ (=sweetfish), grown in the clear stream in Yoshino mountains, eats algae on stones in the river. It is called ‘’kogyo’, meaning ‘fish with good smell’, because its smell is like watermelon or cucumber, and is also tasty. The sushi using this ayu is famous in Yoshino area. Originally ‘Ayu-zushi’ was a ‘nare-zushi’, sushi fermented from 1week to 1 month, but it had became less served as time went by because of its unique flavor. In Muromachi Period (AD1336~1537), however, ‘fresh nare-zushi’, fermented in shorter period and served with rice and fish together, was invented thank to the development of barrels and stone weight. Currently, ‘Ayu-zushi’ is served immediately after prepared, and you can enjoy its fresh flavour. ‘Ayu-zushi’ from Nara Prefecture became popular because there was a real sushi restaurant appeared in the famous Kabuki and Ningyo Jyoruri (=Japanese puppet drama) program called ‘Yoshitsune Senbon-zakura’ (=Yoshitune with a thousand of cherry blossom trees) located in Nara Prefecture. ‘Tsurube-sushi’, appears in the program, is ‘nare-zushi’ fermented with rice and Ayu. The name came from a bucket as sushi container looked like it. The restaurant set in the Kabuki sushi restaurant is still open as a traditional Japanese restaurant.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
It is often served during the Ayu season, from summer to autumn. As Ayu has been popular as a lucky food since the ancient time, the dish is also served at auspicious occasions or gatherings.

## How to Eat
‘Ayu Sugata-zushi’ was prepared by placing whole Ayu on the vinegared rice and pressed them with wet kitchen cloth. Cut into a bite-size to serve. There is ‘Yaki Ayu Sushi’, placing grilled ayu instead of vinegared ayu, and it is served with Sansho (=Japanese pepper) or sauce.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)You can eat or but at restaurants or Sushi restaurant easily.

## Ingredients
- Rice: 5 cups
- Ayu (=sweetfish): 10
- [Seasoning A (Sushi vinegar)] Vinegar: 130ml
- [Seasoning A (Sushi vinegar)] Mirin (=sweet rice wine): 35ml
- [Seasoning A (Sushi vinegar)] Sugar: 70g
- [Seasoning A (Sushi vinegar)] Salt: 27g

## Recipe
1. 1. Heat seasoning [A] without boiling to make sushi vinegar.
2. 2. Once rice is cooked, pour sushi vinegar evenly. Mix it not to squish rice while cooling the rice with fan. Rice becomes shiny while cooling.
3. 3. Remove scales from ayu, then slice down the belly from head to tail. Open from belly side and remove gill and guts, then remove back born, belly born and fin. Sprinkle salt and leave it for 3mins. Rinse it to remove salt, then pickle into vinegar for a minute.
4. 4. Wipe off liquid from ayu. Shape vinegar rice as same length as ayu to make it oval. Place ayu on top of the rice, then cover wet kitchen cloth to adjust the shape. Cut into a bite-size to serve.
5. 5. Mix Chinese indigo, ‘Kinome’ (=Japanese young pepper), Green shiso into vinegar rice for flavor if you like.

## Provider Information
provider : Mr. Masatoshi Umesaki

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