【Reading】にほんさんだいなれずし

【English Name】Three Great Narezushi of Japan

Funazushi of Shiga Prefecture, kaburazushi of Ishikawa Prefecture, and hatahata-zushi of Akita Prefecture—the "Three Great Narezushi of Japan" (Nihon Sandai Narezushi) is the collective name for the three most highly regarded among the narezushi that survive across Japan.

Funazushi is made from crucian carp (funa) caught in Lake Biwa, finished through several months to several years of lactic-acid fermentation using only salt and cooked rice. It preserves the most primitive technique among surviving narezushi, with acidity and umami melding into a powerful aroma. The Engishiki also records mention of sushi (sushi/sushi) from Omi, attesting to a depth of history reaching back to the Heian era.

Kaburazushi is made by sandwiching slices of yellowtail (buri) between thick-cut turnip (kabura), adding rice koji, and then awaiting fermentation in the cold environment of winter. Its hallmark is the gentle sweetness drawn out by the saccharifying action of the koji, making it a representative izushi-type delicacy of the regional cuisine of Ishikawa and Toyama.

Hatahata-zushi (sandfish sushi) is also classified as an izushi type that makes use of koji, and it enjoys broad support as a culinary tradition that brightens Akita's winters.

Narezushi is the general term for a preserved food in which fish is salted, then packed with rice and allowed to undergo lactic-acid fermentation. The prevailing view holds that it was brought to Japan from the Southeast Asian region along with the transmission of rice cultivation, and it can be broadly divided into two lineages: the "narezushi type," pickled with rice alone, and the "izushi type," which also uses koji. The three great narezushi are a lineup chosen from both of these lineages.