# Kaku Sushi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Kaku Sushi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Hiroshima City, Kita Hiroshima-cho, Akitakata City, Geihoku

## Main Ingredients Used
Rice, Shime saba (vinegared mackerel), Eggs, Kamaboko(fish cake), Shiitake mushrooms, Chestnuts, Sansho leaves, Carrot leaves, Dried shrimps, Denbu (A food made by breaking up fish meat (e.g. Red Snapper fish) into small pieces, seasoning with sugar, soy sauce, mirin (=sweet rice wine) and roasting.

## History, Origin, and Related Events
It is a type of oshizushi made by filling a square wooden mold with sushi rice and other ingredients, and is eaten in the Asakita-ku area of Hiroshima City and the Geihoku region of Hiroshima Prefecture. When pressed out of the wooden frame, six to eight pieces of the same size are formed at the same time, and the finished product is square, hence the name "kaku-zushi" (square sushi). It is sometimes called "oshizushi" or "Inaka sushi" (country sushi). The ingredients are sometimes changed according to the season or region, and are characterized by a decorative ingredient on top called "Kami-oki" and an ingredient in the sushi rice called "Nakagu". The "Kami-oki" is made up of brightly colored red, green, and yellow ingredients such as shime saba (mackerel), thinly fried egg, kamaboko (fish cake), shiitake mushrooms, aromatic mushrooms, matsutake mushrooms, chestnuts, sansho leaves, carrot leaves, dried shrimp, and denbu, while the "Nakagu" is made up of slightly salty carrot, shiitake mushroom, gobo, beans, etc., all of which are not visible from the outside. As you eat your way through the sushi rice, the rich flavor of the simmered ingredients suddenly spreads out. In addition, because the vegetables are seasoned and the seafood is heated, it tastes good even after a long time has passed. In the 1950s, it was common for each household to have a wooden form of kaku-zushi, and since kaku-zushi was traditionally served to guests on celebratory occasions and other special occasions, it was customary to make a larger quantity and distribute it in wooden boxes to neighbors and neighbors.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
It is served at festivals and as a hospitality dish for guests. In addition to New Year's, cherry blossom viewing, Obon Festival, and autumn festivals, it was also served at weddings and funerals during the period when weddings and funerals were held at home. Even today, it is sometimes made at home, but the number of occasions is decreasing.

## How to Eat
Fill a square wooden mold with sushi rice and ingredients. On the inside carrots, shiitake mushrooms, burdocks, beans, etc. cooked in a thick seasoning are placed. On top, colorful ingredients such as shime saba (mackerel), thinly fried egg, fish cake, shiitake mushrooms, matsutake mushrooms, aromatic mushrooms, chestnuts, sansho leaves, carrot leaves, dried shrimps, and denbu are arranged. When pushed out of the wooden crate, six to eight square pieces of the same shape of sushi are formed.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)It can be eaten at restaurants that serve local cuisine, or sold at local produce markets. In Kita Hiroshima Town, it is also taught in local cooking classes.

## Ingredients
- Rice: 3 cups
- [Sushi vinegar] Vinegar: 4 tbsp
- [Sushi vinegar] Sugar: 2 tbsp
- [Sushi vinegar] Salt: 1 tsp
- Shime saba (Vinegret mackerel): as needed
- Thinly sliced egg: as needed
- Kamaboko (=fish paste): as needed
- Shiitake mushrooms: as needed
- Cooked chestnuts: as needed
- Matsutake mushroom: as needed
- Simmered soybeans: as needed
- Denbu: as needed
- Carrot leaves: as needed

## Recipe
1. 1. Put the cooked rice into a sushi bowl and mix all of the [sushi vinegar].
2. 2. Place (one) item to be placed on top of the sushi rice, and top with the denbu and carrot leaves to make pressed sushi. You may add boiled vegetables or cooked beans to be mixed into the “moguri” (Hiroshima dialect to place lace into the inside) in the sushi rice.

## Provider Information
provider : "Hiroshima Prefecture's Taste Dishes to Pass Down and Preserve" (Hiroshima Nutrition Education and Health Promotion Executive Committee)

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