琵琶湖の水で生まれた寿司文化の源流
フナの内臓を取り除き、米を詰めて長期間発酵させることで柔らかく溶かしていく発酵珍味、なれずしの代表格だ。単なる魚の塩漬けに、米を媒介とした乳酸発酵の酸味が加わり、保存性も強く風味も奥深い。世界でも珍しい湖に浮かぶ有人の淡水島、沖島（おきしま）のふなずしは、なんと水際のテトラポットの上で仕込む。発酵途中に表面に上がってくる雑駁物を琵琶湖の水で定期的に洗い流すことで、澄んだ風味でキュッと締まったなれずしができあがる。このなれずしの加工技術が簡略化していくことで寿司の歴史が発展していった。

Japanese carp narezushi: the headwaters of the sushi culture springing from Lake Biwa
The key feature of narezushi (a type of fermented sushi) is its delicate flavor, achieved by gutting Japanese carp, which then is filled with rice and packed in a barrel with rice to ferment for a long time. Narezushi is a long-lasting and deeply flavorful dish created by adding the sour flavor of lactobacillus fermentation mediated by rice to regular cured fish. The funazushi of Okishima, a rare example of an inhabited island in a freshwater lake, are prepared on top of the tetrapods along the water’s edge. The waters of Lake Biwa periodically wash away the by-products of the fermentation process that float up to the surface, resulting in pure flavor and tightly compacted narezushi. The gradual simplification of this process led to the historical development of modern sushi.

どう作って食べるか / HOW TO MAKE & EAT

❶ニゴロブナを洗って内臓を取り、2〜3日塩漬けする。
❷塩を洗って水を切り、数時間〜1日ほど干して乾かす。
❸魚の身に米を詰め、同じく米を敷き詰めた樽に漬けて重しをする。
❹数ヶ月〜2年ほど発酵・熟成させる。
★ 重しがゆるいと臭みや酸味が強くなる
★ 熟成が浅いか深いかは食べる人の好み次第

❶Nigorobuna (the species of Japanese carp endemic to Lake Biwa) is first washed and gutted, then cured with salt for two to three days.
❷The salt is washed away and the water is drained before the fish is dried for between a few hours and a day.
❸The hollowed fish is filled with rice, and packed in layers together with the rice in a barrel.
❹The narezushi is left to ferment and mature for between several months and two years.
★ Packing the narezushi loosely results in it developing a more sour taste and powerful aroma.
★ Whether more or less matured narezushi is better is a matter of personal taste.酒の肴
As an appetizer for sake or other alcoholic drink

▶食べられている地域 / Regions where it is eaten
滋賀県近畿一帯
Shiga Prefecture and throughout the Kinki region

▶微生物の種類 / Types of microorganisms
乳酸菌類、その他細菌類
Lactic acid bacteria, various other types of bacteria
 

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