Kakinoha-zushi 柿の葉寿司 (salted mackerel sushi) which is filled with wisdom of rural.

◆Kakinoha-zushi 柿の葉寿司-Specialty of Nara◆

Have you ever had Kakinoha-zushi? 

Nara is a prefecture where is surrounded by mountains. 

That's why locals couldn't eat fresh saltwater fish. Back then, it is said that fishermen in Wakayama had come and sold salted mackerels to Nara to make money for paying land taxes frequently. But I heard that those were too salty to eat as it is, so the majority of them had come to eat it with rice, therefore, locals came up with Kakinoha-zushi(柿の葉寿司) in the Edo era. 

 

 The mackerel-sushi is wrapped in persimmon leaf which is called 柿の葉 in Japanese. The reason why it is wrapped in persimmon leaf is that it is anti-bacterial. Salt, vinegar and persimmon leaf, those are enhancing antibacterial, so it is preserved for a while. I think it is great wisdom in rural. That's why Kakinoha-zushi had been a specialty of Nara now. 

The Kakinoha-zushi (mackerel and salmon) I had the other day at Trase (とらせ)  nearby Hasedera were really delicious. A salmon one is also popular nowadays. The tea is Houji-cha(ほうじ茶) which is roasted green tea. It's savory smelling. 

 If you'll visit Nara, give it a try!

I hope you’ll have a great time in Japan！

Thank you for reading my article!

Feel free to leave a comment!