【Reading】うのはなずし

【English Name】Unohana-zushi (Okara Sushi)

Unohana-zushi is one of the local sushi dishes handed down in the Seto Inland region, including Hiroshima, Okayama, and Ehime Prefectures. Its greatest feature is that it does not use vinegared rice but is based on okara (soybean pulp) seasoned with vinegar.

Because rice was once a precious commodity in fishing villages, it is said to have originated from using readily obtainable okara as a substitute. It is a form of "haya-zushi" (quick sushi) in which small fish such as mamakari, gizzard shad (konoshiro), sardine, and bitterling (tanago) are split along the back, cured with sugared vinegar, and then either stuffed with or topped with okara.

The name varies by region: in coastal areas (around Onomichi City and Fukuyama City), the names "azuma-zushi" and "azuma" are widely used. Meanwhile, in the mountainous interior of Hiroshima Prefecture (around Miyoshi City) it is called "unohana-zushi," with its own distinct variations, such as the use of sweetfish (ayu).

In Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture, the mainstream style is to mix rice into okara seasoned with vinegar and sugar, add burdock, carrot, and shiitake simmered sweet-and-savory, and shape it into bales (tawara), typically without using fish. Versions topped with fish are distinguished as "maru-zushi."

The aromatics mixed into the okara also differ by region and household, with ginger, garlic chives, carrot, Japanese pepper (sansho), and black sesame being used. Once served at gatherings such as autumn festivals and the New Year, today it is said to be made less often.

As local dishes with a similar character, the "kara-zushi" of Niigata Prefecture and the "kirasu-mameshi" of Oita Prefecture may be cited.