【Reading】あゆずし

【English Name】Ayu-zushi (sweetfish sushi)

Ayu-zushi is a general term for sushi made from the river fish ayu (sweetfish), broadly divided into two lineages: narezushi (fermented sushi) and hayazushi (quick sushi).

The narezushi-type ayu sushi is made by removing the innards of the ayu, salt-curing it, then packing it into a barrel together with cooked rice, rice koji, and chili, applying a weight, and allowing lactic-acid fermentation at room temperature. The salt-curing period is about 20 days, after which it reaches its prime about 40 days from the main pickling. The action of lactic-acid bacteria enhances keeping quality, and as amino acids increase, a distinctive umami is drawn out.

The hayazushi lineage includes forms such as sugata-zushi, pressed sushi, kaki-no-ha zushi (persimmon-leaf sushi), and sasa-zushi (bamboo-leaf sushi), and is widespread in various places centered on the river basins of Nara, Wakayama, and Kyoto Prefectures. It is also sold as an ekiben at JR Kyoto Station and is widely beloved.

Its history is ancient: the Heian-period Konjaku Monogatarishu contains a tale of a woman peddling ayu sushi, from which one can read that it was already circulating in the city at that time. There is also a record passed down that during the Kyoho era of the Edo period, ayu sushi was presented from the Toyama clan to Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune. As symbolized by its appearance in the "sushi shop scene" of the kabuki play Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, it is an ingredient deeply connected to Japanese history on both the food-culture and performing-arts fronts. In haiku it is positioned as a seasonal word for summer.