【Reading】つわずし

【English Name】Tsuwa sushi

Tsuwa-zushi is a local sushi handed down in various parts of southern Kyushu. Its greatest characteristic is the use of the leaves of tsuwabuki (Japanese silver leaf, a perennial of the Asteraceae family) as a wrapping material or lining leaf.

Tsuwabuki is a plant that grows wild along the coasts and in the forests of warm regions, with large, rounded leaves. The basic style is to combine vinegared rice with fish and other ingredients and wrap it in these leaves. Sushi using plant leaves, such as kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf sushi) and hoba-zushi (magnolia-leaf sushi), is seen throughout Japan, but tsuwa-zushi, which uses the southern-region tsuwabuki, possesses its own distinctive individuality.

Centered on parts of Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures, it has been made in homes on the occasions of festivals and outings. The faint aroma of the leaves transfers to the vinegared rice and also contributes to preserving the ingredients. The fillings and preparation methods vary by maker and settlement, and forms using vinegar-cured fish or mixing in shiitake mushrooms and dried gourd (kanpyo) can be found in various places.

As a local dish that inherits the lineage of leaf-wrapped sushi rooted throughout Japan, it continues to play the role of carrying regional food culture into the present day.