【Reading】おぼろにぎり

【English Name】Oboro Nigiri

Oboro is an ingredient made mainly from small shrimp such as shiba-ebi (shiba shrimp), ground into a paste, seasoned sweetly, and dry-roasted. Characterized by its pale cherry-blossom color and refined sweetness, it has long been used in Edomae sushi.

In preparing nigiri sushi, there is a technique of "kamaseru" (inserting) oboro on top of the shari, just as with wasabi. By thinly sandwiching oboro between the topping and the shari, it gently complements the flavor of the ingredients and adds depth to the taste.

In sushi chefs' jargon, oboro is called "Sagaya" (Saga Valley). It is said to be a code word derived from a passage in nagauta: "Sagaya Omuro no hanafubuki."

Oboro is used not only for nigiri sushi but also as a standard filling for thick rolls (futomaki), used alongside rolled omelet, kanpyo (dried gourd), and shiitake. Historically, the 1850 (Kaei 3) text "Koto Gosui" records a "tekka-zushi" using oboro of shiba shrimp, showing that rolled sushi with an oboro core existed before the current tuna tekka-maki. It is one of the techniques that conveys traditional Edomae craftsmanship.