【Reading】なすのはなずし

【English Name】Nasu no Hanazushi

Nasu no hanazushi is a type of traditional pickle handed down around Yokote City in Akita Prefecture. Although its name contains "zushi," unlike nigirizushi made with vinegared rice, it belongs to the lineage of narezushi preserved foods in which vegetables are salted and fermented.

To make it, the basic method is to cut slits into small round eggplants and stuff them with edible chrysanthemum petals, myoga ginger, chili pepper and the like, then pickle them in salt. The name "hanazushi" (flower sushi) is said to come from its appearance resembling a chrysanthemum flower in bloom. Cultivation of edible chrysanthemum is thriving in Akita Prefecture, and the dish is often prepared in autumn when both eggplant and chrysanthemum reach harvest.

Akita Prefecture has a deeply rooted food culture of fermented sushi, beginning with hatahata-zushi, and nasu no hanazushi can be called a regional dish nurtured within that local fermentation culture. With its beautiful, vivid chrysanthemum colors, it has long been enjoyed as a dish that adorns celebrations and the New Year's table.