This time, we will introduce you to "Kanazawa's winter flavors and Kanazawa people's soul food."

The king of winter foods in Kanazawa is crab, but even if you live in Kanazawa, you rarely see it on the dinner table. Turnip sushi and radish sushi are soul foods that are loved by Kanazawa residents from the dining table of ordinary households to restaurants. The climate of Kanazawa makes these soul foods delicious, but even though they are called sushi, they do not necessarily have rice. They are so-called pickles, made by cutting vegetables such as turnips and radishes, salting them, and then pickling them in koji. The ingredients sandwiched between the vegetables can be yellowtail, mackerel, herring, or other fish, making them Kanazawa's strongest fermented food, with infinite flavors depending on the household or store. The way the koji is made varies from household to household, and the ingredients sandwiched between the vegetables also vary. There are many different ways to cut the vegetables and the ingredients that are pickled together for color, so some people like them and others dislike them. Some people love the soft texture of turnips, while others love the chewy texture of daikon radishes. Others love the sweetness of the pickled koji and love eating it on rice. It is one of the popular fermented foods for winter gifts, but the custom of making it at home remains in each household, so you can find rice koji and salted mackerel for sale at supermarkets. In some areas, "Turnip sushi making experience" is also listed as a neighborhood event, and you can feel the desire to pass on local cuisine to the next generation. I would like to briefly introduce how I make daikon sushi at home. Cut the daikon into 2 cm wide slices and make a cut in the middle to make it easier to sandwich the fish later. Next, it is salted, but the salt concentration varies from household to household. In my house, the salt concentration is 4%, so I measure the weight of the daikon to be pickled and calculate the amount of salt before pickling. Depending on the temperature, the moisture will rise in 3 to 4 days, and that is the guideline for the next step. Mix the loosened koji into hot, freshly cooked rice and pour in boiling water to increase the amount. After that, keep it warm in a kotatsu or similar and wait for it to ferment. Once fermented, the so-called amazake (which is not sweet because it does not contain sugar) is completed. Now, it is time to marinate. Prepare the fish to be sandwiched between, and thinly sliced carrots and yuzu for color and accent, and marinate in a barrel. Place slices of fish between daikon radishes, place koji on top, and sprinkle colorful vegetables on top. Stack them in the same way in several layers, put a weight on them at the end, and then leave them in a cool place until the alcohol in the koji becomes sweet. It is also affected by the temperature, so if it is warm, the fermentation will progress and the sourness will become stronger. It is irresistible with the head of the third person's favorite, but when it is finished with the right amount of sourness and sweetness, it creates an indescribable harmony. There is no fishy smell from the fish sandwiched inside, making it a perfect companion to rice and alcohol. You can eat it as is, or add a little soy sauce for a wider range of flavors. By the way, I find that just koji goes well with rice. It is also a uniquely wintery sight to see turnip sushi and daikon sushi on the dinner table almost every day, and the familiar flavors from childhood also evoke an indescribable sense of nostalgia. We hope you enjoyed this article, which introduces the flavors of winter in Kanazawa and the soul food of Kanazawa people.

If you have a chance to visit Kanazawa, we highly recommend you try it. It is available in souvenir shops, of course, but also in Omicho Market, in the basement of department stores, and even in regular supermarkets.

And for those who are considering renting a kimono, we recommend VASARA Kimono Rental. Why not try the extraordinary experience of sightseeing in a kimono while sampling the delicious food of Kanazawa?