【Reading】いんろうすし/いんろうづめ

【English Name】Inrou sushi

Inro-zushi is a category of sushi made by packing vinegared rice into the interior of hollow-structured ingredients such as squid, bamboo shoot, and fried tofu (aburaage); it is also known by the alternative name "inro-zume."

The origin of the name dates back to the Edo period. At the time, the small portable container called "inro," which samurai and commoners hung from their waist sash to hold medicine and seals, is its source; because the act of packing rice into the cavity of an ingredient resembles the action of putting things into this case, it became established as a culinary term.

A leading example is squid inro-zushi. In the world of Edomae sushi, vinegared rice mixed with chopped dried gourd (kanpyo), gari, and crumbled nori is packed into the body of simmered squid, and boiled-down sauce (tsume) is brushed over the surface to finish. It is a flavorful delicacy in which the aroma of the sweet-and-salty simmering liquid and the squid's distinctive bite become one.

Furthermore, inari-zushi, in which vinegared rice is packed into fried tofu simmered to a sweet-and-salty taste, is also classified within the category of inro-zushi in the sushi system.

It is established as one of the compositional forms of Edomae sushi standing alongside nigiri sushi and rolled sushi, and the skill of cleverly using the cavity the ingredient inherently has to unite rice and ingredient can be called the essence of this sushi form.