【Reading】あせずし

【English Name】Ase-zushi

One of the local sushi varieties handed down in Wakayama Prefecture is ase-zushi. "Ase" is a word referring to the leaves of the giant reed (danchiku), and the distinctive method of wrapping vinegared rice and ingredients in these leaves and pressing them firmly has been passed down over generations.

Mackerel is the representative ingredient: vinegar-cured mackerel is layered onto vinegared rice, wrapped in ase leaves, and then shaped by placing a weight on top. It also has an aspect of being a preserved food that skillfully harnesses the antibacterial and antiseptic properties of giant reed leaves, and it has continued to be made as an essential dish for festivals and annual events.

Across Japan there is a culture of pressed sushi wrapped in leaves, such as kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf sushi) and hoba-zushi (magnolia-leaf sushi), and ase-zushi belongs to that same lineage. Wakayama has long had a narezushi food culture, and ase-zushi can be said to inherit that tradition of fermentation and preservation.

Even today, in some areas it appears on family tables and at festival gatherings, continuing to play the role of passing local food culture on to the next generation.