【Reading】さざえ

【English Name】Turban shell

The sazae (horned turban, Turbo sazae) is a large edible sea snail making up the genus Turbo of the family Turbinidae, a species with a commanding presence whose shell height and diameter exceed 10 cm, deeply rooted in Japan's food culture. There are forms with spines on the outer shell wall and forms without; this morphological difference is thought to arise from a combination of habitat environment and genetic factors.

Its range extends to rocky-reef zones from southern Hokkaido to Kyushu on the Sea of Japan side, and from Chiba Prefecture to around Amami Oshima on the Pacific side. Nocturnal, it settles on rocky reefs and seabeds at depths around 30 m and lives feeding mainly on seaweed. Its average lifespan is said to be 7-8 years.

As a sushi topping, sashimi is the main preparation, with its appeal being the aroma of the sea and a crunchy, elastic bite. Tsuboyaki (grilled in its shell) is also established as a widely beloved standard way of eating it. Preferences also diverge interestingly by region and individual type: in Kansai the spineless form from the Seto Inland Sea is valued for its tender flesh, while in Kanto spined individuals are highly rated for their appearance—a cultural difference.

Sazae has also followed an interesting course in the history of its classification. Long treated as the same species as the nankai-sazae (T. cornutus), in 2017 it was recognized as an independent species by the Okayama University researcher Hiroshi Fukuda and formally described under the scientific name Turbo sazae.