【Reading】しろいてっかまき

【English Name】White Tekkamaki

Shiroi tekka-maki (white tekka roll) is a local rolled-sushi dish rooted in Nagasaki Prefecture. While an ordinary tekka-maki has lean tuna (akami) at its core, in Nagasaki, because demand for tuna was lower than in other regions, a rolled sushi was created using blue-backed fish such as yellowtail (buri), greater amberjack (kanpachi), and goldstriped amberjack (hiramasa) as fillings.

Because the flesh of these fish is paler in color than tuna, it is familiarly called shiroi tekka-maki (white tekka roll), and it also has the alternate name Nagasaki tekka. The time of its birth is said to be after the Second World War.

Note that Nagasaki also has a tradition of shibi (tuna) fishing, and tekka-maki using tuna is eaten on a daily basis as well. Shiroi tekka-maki is a distinctive local sushi born from the union of the blue-backed fish abundantly landed locally and Nagasaki's food culture.

The cooking method, as with ordinary tekka-maki, generally involves making a thin roll (hosomaki) of the ingredients with vinegared rice and nori, adding wasabi, and eating it with soy sauce. With a charm differing from tuna tekka-maki, its character lies in the sweetness of the fat and a refreshing aftertaste.