【Reading】しんこまき/おしんこまき

【English Name】Shinko-maki (pickled radish roll)

Shinko maki is a type of thin-rolled sushi rolled with pickles such as takuan (pickled daikon) at its core. It is enjoyed under various names depending on region and shop, such as "takuan maki," "koko maki," and "kouko maki."

"Shinko" is a word referring to fresh pickles, and both "koko" and "kouko" are alternative names for pickles. There is a view that the precise usage is "shinko maki" when lightly pickled ones are used and "koko maki" when aged pickles are at the core. However, since pickles in general are now collectively called "shinko," the distinction between the two is hardly conscious anymore.

History
Tracing its roots leads to Osaka. It is said that the sushi restaurant "Sushitora" devised a thin roll incorporating takuan, after which "Yagura" made it widely known under the name "koko maki," with the period estimated to be around the late Meiji era. The 1930 publication Sushi-tsu records it as a dish transmitted from Kansai to Tokyo. In Edo, since the distinctive smell of takuan was seen as harming the aroma of nori, there were initially many who shunned it, but with the advantage of an affordable price it gradually came to be accepted.

Ingredients and how to eat
The core is takuan, and it is commonly rolled julienned or finely chopped. There is also a style combining sesame, shiso, or oba, and sometimes wasabi is added as an accent. In Hokkaido there are regions that use cucumber nara-zuke. It is known as a dish in which sesame and oba add aroma to the crisp bite of the takuan.