これぞ北海道！と言いたくなるサケの塩漬け。熟成のあいだ山のようにサケを重ねることから「山漬け」という名がついた。最近では焼いて食べることが多いが、元々は生のままかじって食べることもあったそうだ。農耕が難しかった北海道東標津では、生の魚を食べればビタミン摂取でき、しかも寄生虫や病原菌の多い内臓を取り除いてある、実に理にかなったレシピ。どうもアイヌの加工技術と、会津藩が持ち込んだ本土の製塩技術が出会って生まれたもののようだ。取り除いた内臓のうち、腎臓を塩漬けにしたものを「めふん」、胃袋を塩漬けにしたものを「ちゅう」と言う。標津のサケは丸ごと発酵している…！
Salmon fermented in the roots of Hokkaido.
Yamazuke is the flavor of Hokkaido. The name comes from the stage during the maturation process where the salmon being fermented is piled high like a mountain (“yama” in Japanese). In recent years it has become popular to eat grilled, though originally it was gnawed at raw. In Higashi-Shibetsu, Hokkaido, where the environment made agriculture difficult, eating raw fish allowed people to ingest a source of vitamins, while cutting out the innards removed the risk of parasites and disease-causing bacteria. Raw yamazuke was a clever and practical recipe for the people at the time. It really is a great blend of Ainu food processing techniques and Wajin (“Wajin” is the ethnic term for Japanese originating from the main island of Honshu, as opposed to the distinct native Ainu culture of Hokkaido) salt technology. The salmon innards are used to make other dishes, such as mefun, made from cured salmon kidneys, and chuu made from cured salmon stomachs. In Shibetsu, the whole salmon gets fermented…!
どう作って食べるか / HOW TO MAKE & EAT
❶秋に川に遡上してくる前後のサケをよく洗い、内臓を取り除く。
❷サケの身に塩をすりこみ、箱に何段にも重ねて石で重しをする。
❸三数日〜10日ほど漬け込み、箱から出して乾燥させてできあがり。
★ 箱から出して1〜3日ほど水に漬けて塩抜きする場合も。
❶In autumn, wash and gut the salmon that come swimming up the river.
❷Rub salt into the flesh of the salmon, pile them high in a box, and weigh them down with a stone.
❸Allow the salmon to pickle thoroughly for few days to ten days, then take them out of the box and dry them.
★ Some people immerse the yamazuke in water for 1-3 days to wash salt away after taking them out of the pickling box.
輪切りにして焼く or そのまま食べる
You can either cut it into round slices and fry it, or eat it as is.
▶食べられている地域 / Regions where it is eaten
北海道新潟の一部佐渡ヶ島など
Hokkaido Also in parts of Niigata and Sadogashima.
▶微生物の種類 / Types of microorganisms
耐塩性乳酸菌類など
Various varieties of halophilic lactic acid bacteria