【Reading】すこずし

【English Name】Suko sushi

A type of pressed sushi handed down in the Suko district of Shiroishi Town, Kishima District, Saga Prefecture. Vinegared rice is packed into a shallow wooden box called a morofuta, and over small partitioned sections, various ingredients are arranged colorfully.

A representative ingredient is grilled mudskipper (mutsugoro) in kabayaki style, and a distinctive method is to pickle mudskipper bones into the mixed vinegar as well. Depending on the season and the household, the bounty of the sea and the mountains are used differently, and because the catch of mudskipper has been declining in recent years, shrimp or dotted gizzard shad (konoshiro) are sometimes used as substitutes.

In the Suko district, it is positioned as a dish indispensable for festivals and celebrations, and its origins are said to date back more than 500 years. It is said to have begun when local people offered it to the lord of Suko, who was known for his good governance, to express their gratitude. It is also listed among the One Hundred Selected Local Dishes of Farming, Mountain, and Fishing Villages chosen by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.