# Sumoji ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Sumoji

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Tobu Area (Unnan City etc.)

## Main Ingredients Used
Mackerel, rice, glutinous rice, etc.

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Shimane Prefecture boasts one of the highest annual catches of mackerel in Japan. The cold, rough seas of the Sea of Japan produce delicious, fatty mackerel. Sumoji is a type of chirashi-sushi, and is a type of sushi made with grilled mackerel, which is a specialty of the prefecture, served over vinegared rice.Sumoji is a specialty of the Kisuki and Mitoya areas of Unnan City, located inland. This area has long prospered as a transportation hub connecting the Izumo region and Hiroshima Prefecture. Generally, the term "grilled mackerel sushi" refers to "stick sushi," but in the inland area of Shimane Prefecture, it sometimes refers to chirashi zushi, a type of sushi made of unrolled grilled mackerel.Through this district, mackerel caught off the Sea of Japan were often transported to various regions. Before the Meiji era (1868-1912), preservation techniques and transportation methods had not been established. As mackerel is called "live spoilage" when it is damaged quickly, grilled mackerel, which can be preserved relatively well, was a wisdom of life born from popular culture, and was a valuable food supplement for protein.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Grilled mackerel has long been eaten during the busy farming season as a valuable source of protein. Today, it is served regardless of the season. There are even restaurants in the city that specialize in grilled mackerel, and it has become a popular local delicacy among tourists from within and outside of the prefecture. In addition to grilled mackerel, other types of fatty mackerel are also enjoyed, such as "mackerel boiled fish," "shime saba," "saba-zushi (sushi with a shape of mackerel)," and "saba-no-nigui (simmered mackerel).”

## How to Eat
A whole mackerel is skewered and slowly grilled until it is charred, a traditional method of cooking in the Kisuki and Mitoya areas of Unnan City. When served as "sumoji," the savory aroma of the charred bits will wet your appetite. Grilled mackerel meat is removed from the bones, loosened, and mixed with vinegar. Remove the gills as they are oily and not suitable for sushi.Make sushi rice by combining rice and glutinous rice, cook slightly firm, and sprinkle with the previously broken pieces of grilled mackerel. It is often mixed with other ingredients such as carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and kanpyo (dried gourd) cooked in dashi (Japanese soup stock) to make a sweet and spicy sauce. A sprinkling of broiled egg or chopped nori (seaweed) adds a splash of color.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)It can be purchased at restaurants and delicatessen stores in Yunnan. There are also restaurants specializing in grilled mackerel.While "sumoji" had been a well-established home-style dish, it began to attract attention as a tourism resource around the 1990s, and its recognition as a local cuisine has grown.

## Ingredients
- Rice: 2 gou
- Glutinous rice: 2 tbsp.
- [Awase-zu(sweet and sour dressing)]: 
- Rice Vinegar: 20cc
- Sugar: 1 tbsp or more
- Salt: 1／2 tsp.
- Grilled mackerel: 1 fish (450g)
- (A) carrot: 40g
- (A) dried kanpyo: 5g
- (A) bamboo shoots: 40g
- (A) Japanese butterbur: 40g
- (A) shiitake mushroom: 2
- Snowpea: 20g
- Light soy sauce: 1 tsp.
- Sugar: 1／2 tsp.
- Broiled egg: 1
- Chopped seaweed: As needed

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash rice and glutinous rice together. Cook in slightly less water than usual and let sit for about 20 minutes before cooking.
2. 2. Dissolve the vinegar well.
3. 3. Cut carrots into small chunks and kanpyo (dried gourd) into small pieces. Chop bamboo shoots, Japanese butterbur and shiitake mushrooms finely. Boil the kinusaya (snowpea) quickly in salted water, drain, and slice diagonally into thin strips.
4. 4. Remove the head from behind the gills of grilled mackerel. Remove the head from the back of the gills, taking care not to leave any bones. The head part from the gills is not suitable for sushi because of its high oil content.
5. 5. Put the chopped ingredients in a saucepan, add enough water to cover the ingredients, and bring to a boil over low heat. Bring to a boil, add light soy sauce and sugar, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. After boiling, drain off the cooking liquid.
6. 6. Transfer the cooked rice to a sushi tub and pour the vinegar mixture from 2 into the tub.
7. 7. Add the ingredients from step 5 and the broken mackerel meat and mix to combine.
8. 8. Place the sushi rice in a bowl and garnish with a thinly sliced egg, kinugasa peas, and chopped nori seaweed.

## Provider Information
provider : Shimane Prefecture Dietary Improvement Promotion Council

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