【Reading】かぶらずし

【English Name】Kaburazushi

Kabura-zushi is a type of narezushi completed by sandwiching thin slices of yellowtail (buri) into slits cut in salt-cured turnip (kabura) and fermenting it with rice koji. The Kaga region of Ishikawa Prefecture is especially known as a famous production area, and it is a regional taste that has been carried on since ancient times in various areas of the former Kaga domain, including the western part of Toyama Prefecture.

Preparation takes place mainly during the cold season from November to the following January. Slits are cut into the turnip with a knife, salt-cured yellowtail, carrot and kelp are stuffed in, and then it undergoes the main pickling process for several days to several weeks, pressed down with a stone together with rice koji. As the rice starch is saccharified and lactic acid fermentation is promoted, a complex flavor layering sweetness, acidity and umami is formed. The traditional method adds no vinegar or sugar at all, but some commercial products do add them to adjust the taste.

It is interesting that even the manner of cutting varies by region. While round slices are standard in Ishikawa Prefecture, in Toyama Prefecture it is generally shaped into half-moon or ginkgo-leaf forms. In Kanazawa, the custom of decoratively cutting the carrot into a flower shape is still observed.

As a regional dish embodying the harsh Hokuriku winter, it is a dish that invariably appears on the New Year's celebratory table and has long been enjoyed as an accompaniment to evening drinks.