# Suko-zushi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Suko-zushi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Shiraishi Town

## Main Ingredients Used
Rice

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Facing the Ariake Sea, Shiraishi Town boasts a rich natural landscape of mountains, plains, sea, and rivers. Particularly, the Shiraishi Plains were reclaimed through repeated land reclamation projects from the medieval era to the present, becoming a fertile land for cultivating rice, wheat, vegetables, and more. Rice, in particular, has been a focus of continuous quality improvement efforts for centuries. According to tradition, over 500 years ago, the lord of the Suko district in Shiraishi Town valued the local farmers greatly and devoted efforts to enhance the quality of rice. Their dedication led to the fame of "sushi rice" and "sake-brewing rice" spreading nationwide. In gratitude for this lord's care, local residents crafted sushi using the abundant seafood and mountain ingredients and offered it as a tribute. This sushi came to be known as "Suko-zushi," and it continues to be cherished from generation to generation, an indispensable delicacy for celebrations even today. Characterized by its boxed-sushi style, it offers a simple and delightful taste with a variety of local ingredients. Originally, it used grilled mud loach (a type of fish), but due to its rarity nowadays, alternatives like shrimp or saury are sometimes used.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In the Suko district of Shiraishi Town, Suko-zushi was served as a feast during festivals, for people visiting local temples like Nichirinzan Suido Anfukuji, and as a welcome treat for daughters who returned home after getting married. Even now, it remains a prideful dish of this region, served to guests during local festivals and celebrations.

## How to Eat
The rice is cooked with salt and konbu seaweed. After cooking, vinegar is added to the rice, mixed, and then packed into a wooden box called "morofuta." The rice is scored to form squares, and a variety of ingredients like takenoko (bamboo shoots), narazuke (pickled vegetables), grilled mud loach, kinshi tamago (shredded egg crepe), sweet and savory simmered shiitake mushrooms, burdock, and carrot are heaped onto the squares. Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley) and minced pickled ginger are used for garnishing. Instead of grilled mud loach, eel or shrimp can be used as a substitute. It's cut using a spatula. The ingredients can vary depending on the season and household, but local seafood and mountain ingredients from the Ariake Sea area are widely utilized.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)Apart from being prepared at home, it can also be purchased at local roadside stations, farmers' markets, and supermarkets within Shiraishi Town. Additionally, schools in the town offer classes on traditional local cuisine, and high schools and colleges across Saga Prefecture engage in making "Suko-zushi" as part of cooking exercises.

## Ingredients
- Rice flour: 5 cups
- Glutinous rice: 0.5 cups
- Salt: 2／3 teaspoon
- [Vinegar Mixture] Sugar: 60g
- [Vinegar Mixture] Vinegar: 1／2 cup
- [Vinegar Mixture] Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Mud loach (grilled): 5 fish
- Burdock root: 30g
- Carrot: 30g
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: 5 pieces
- [A] Rehydrated shiitake mushroom broth: 1 cup
- [A] Sugar: 2 tbsp
- [A] Sake: 1 tbsp
- [A] Soy sauce: 2 tbsp
- Eggs: 3
- Kamaboko (fish cake): 1 piece
- Pea pods: as needed
- Narazuke (pickled vegetables): 1／3 piece
- Minced pickled ginger: as needed

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash the rice and cook it with salt in the usual way.
2. 2. Prepare the vinegar mixture.
3. 3. Clean the mud loach, halve them, and remove their meat neatly.
4. 4. Rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms and slice them thinly. Cut the burdock root and carrot into short, thin strips.
5. 5. Simmer the shiitake mushrooms in seasoning [A] until they become sweet and savory. Remove and simmer the burdock root and carrot in the same liquid.
6. 6. Make a thin egg crepe and shred it finely. Steam the kamaboko and cut it into 18 thin slices. Boil and diagonally slice the snow peas. Cut the narazuke into thin strips and mince the pickled ginger.
7. 7. Transfer the cooked rice to the "morofuta," pour the vinegar mixture, mix and spread it gently and evenly. Cut into 6 vertical and 3 horizontal sections, then top with ingredients.

## Provider Information
provider : Saga's Food - Local Cuisine

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