【Reading】いなりずし

【English Name】Inari Sushi

Inari-zushi is a dish in which abura-age (fried tofu), finished in a sweet-and-savory simmering liquid, is wrapped around vinegared rice, and has permeated all of Japan under names such as "o-inari-san" and "inari."

The origin of the name lies in Inari shrines. The tradition that foxes are fond of abura-age combined with Inari worship, and this name became established.

The shape and contents differ by region: in the Kanto area it is standard to shape it like a rice bale (tawara), while in Kansai it is common to make it triangular. The Kansai style is mainly "gomoku inari," which adds ingredients such as shiitake, carrot, and sesame to the vinegared rice, and examples finished with plain white vinegared rice alone are rare.

There are local inari-zushi unique to regions throughout the country. The Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture has one adding walnuts to red pickled ginger; Kasama City in Ibaraki Prefecture has one with the contents replaced by soba; and the Matsumoto area of Nagano Prefecture has the representative "karashi inari," in which the front and back of the abura-age are reversed and a mustard flavor is added. In Okinawa, a simple form is also seen in which vinegared rice is merely wrapped in unseasoned abura-age.

It has also spread overseas, eaten in Hawaii, Taiwan, and Korea; the name in Taiwan is "doupi-shousi" (豆皮壽司), and in Korea it corresponds to "yubu-chobap." Those packed into a folding box together with rolled sushi have become a standard item under the name "Sukeroku-zushi."