綿花栽培の名残が海の家の定番に
房総半島東岸の九十九里の浜沿いに海の家が立ち並んでいる。そこで寒い時期の定番メニューがイワシのゴマ漬けだ。黒ゴマや生姜を効かせたセグロイワシの酢漬けで、ご飯がよく進むし酒のアテとしても素晴らしい。九十九里のイワシの歴史は近世の綿花栽培にたどり着く。大量の栄養を必要とする綿花の肥料にイワシをとっていたのだが、安価な輸入綿花が出回ると栽培が廃れ、イワシは庶民の食べる食材になったそうだ。イワシは九十九里の豊漁のシンボルだ。
A regular side dish in local beach houses that is reminiscent of the old cotton plantations that used to flourish in this area. On the east coast of the Boso Peninsula, along the beach at Kujukuri, there stand rows of beachside clubhouses. In the colder months, iwashi-no-gomazuke (i.e. sesame pickled sardines, anchovies, or other fish) is a classic dish available everywhere. The anchovies, pickled in vinegar with black sesame or ginger, are good for the appetite and makes an excellent pairing for sake. The history of iwashi (Japanese sardines/anchovies) in Kujukuri is bound up with the history of cotton cultivation. Iwashi were initially caught to be used as fertilizer in the fertilizer-intensive cultivation of cotton, but as cheap imported cotton brought down the price, the people of the area started to eat the iwashi instead. The iwashi is now a symbol of bountiful catch for the people of Kujukuri.
どう作って食べるか / HOW TO MAKE & EAT
❶頭と内臓を取ったセグロイワシを1日塩漬けにする。
❷塩漬けにした身をよく洗い、ゴマや生姜、唐辛子などを混ぜて数日間酢漬けにする。
❶Remove the heads of and gut the anchovies, then cure them in salt for a day.
❷Thoroughly wash the salt from the flesh, then season with sesame, ginger or chili, before pickling in vinegar for several days.
ご飯のお供に
酒のあてに
As an accompaniment to rice
Paired with sake
▶食べられている地域 / Regions where it is eaten
千葉県房総半島一帯
Throughout the Boso Peninsula in Chiba
▶微生物の種類 / Types of microorganisms
乳酸菌
lactic acid bacteria