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Tottori Prefecture

Kakinoha zushi

Kakinoha zushi
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  • Image Source : Tottori Prefecture

Main lore areas

Chigashira Town

Main ingredients used

rice, salted trout, persimmon leaves

History/origin/related events

Kakinoha Sushi" is a local dish that has been handed down in Chigashira Town, Tottori Prefecture since ancient times, and is loved by the townspeople as a dish for entertaining at Bon festivals and Bon holidays. In Chigashira Town, which is far from the sea, "Kakinoha Sushi" was devised as a way to eat fish without allowing it to spoil. The tannin contained in persimmon leaves has antiseptic properties, preventing salt trout from being damaged. In the old days, farmers always had a persimmon tree or two in their yards. We can glimpse the wisdom of our ancestors who knew that its leaves had various effects.

Opportunities and times of eating habits

It is said that in the olden days, it was prepared in every household as a meal for festivals, New Year's, hospitality for guests, and other occasions of Hare (festive) occasions. It becomes even more colorful when served on leaves that have turned red and yellow during the season of autumn. It is a taste of autumn and a different way to enjoy "Kakinoha Sushi".

How to eat

The preparation is quite simple. Thinly sliced salted trout is soaked in vinegar water to soak up the flavor. The rice is then placed on a persimmon leaf, and the salt trout is topped with sansho nuts. The pink color of the salted trout contrasts with the green of the persimmon leaves, creating a colorful contrast. The moment you put it in your mouth, the aroma of the sansho (Japanese pepper) on top of the salted trout fills your mouth with the flavor of vinegar, enhancing the deliciousness of the salted trout. The small sansho peppercorns add an accent to the flavor and stimulate the appetite.

Efforts for Preservation and Succession

The "Nagi Local Products Development Study Group" was established to prevent this local dish from becoming obsolete, as it is rarely made at home. The group, which was established in 1987, was formed by residents of the Nagi area, mainly farmers, and began activities in order to encourage more people to eat it. The group also holds cooking classes and teaches recipes to elementary school students. The restaurant was selected as one of the "100 Tottori Delicacies Selected by Residents of Tottori Prefecture.

RECIPE

Ingredients (For 10-15 persons)

  • rice 1 sho
  • Water 1.1 times the amount of rice
  • Sake 100 ml
  • Kelp 20cm
  • Salted trout 1 fish
  • Persimmon leaves 90 to 100 leaves
  • Seasoning A (combined vinegar)] Sugar 200g
  • Seasoning A (combined vinegar)] Vinegar 250cc
  • Seasoning A (combined vinegar)] Salt 2 tbsp.
  • Seasoning B (trout soaking liquid)] Vinegar 1/2 cup
  • Seasoning B (trout soaking liquid)] sugar 2 tbsp.
  • Seasoning B (trout soaking liquid)] salt a pinch
  • Leaves of sansho (Japanese pepper) 90-100 leaves (or 90-100 prickly pearls)

How to cook

  • 1. Wash persimmon leaves well and pat dry. For sansho leaves, select young shoots as much as possible.

  • 2. Prepare rice 30 minutes before cooking, and add water, kelp, and sake.

  • 3. Rinse the salt trout, cut into 3 pieces, and freeze. Remove the thin skin while still frozen, and quickly wash in thin salted water.

  • 4. Slice each piece diagonally into 40 to 50 slices, and soak in Seasoning B for 1 or 2 minutes.

  • 5. Make seasoning A at the same time as the rice is cooked, and mix it quickly with the cooked rice.

  • 6. Grab the rice, top with trout and sansho leaves (or fruits), wrap in persimmon leaves, and pack tightly into a hitsu or sushi tub. Cover with persimmon leaves, cover with a lid, and place a weight about twice as heavy as the sushi.

  • 7. Soak for half a day or overnight to allow the persimmon leaves and sansho leaves (or berries) to blend well with the sushi rice.

provider : Tottori Prefecture

* Recipes vary depending on the region and home.