Nishin no Sansho-zuke

【The flavor where the northern sea meets the mountains of Aizu】 The wisdom of our ancestors resides in "Herring Pickled with Sansho"

An essential dish on the dining table of Aizu, shining in amber color. That is "Herring Pickled with Sansho." For the inland Aizu, surrounded by steep mountains, sea fish were once extremely precious. How to deliciously preserve and store the "dried herring" caught in the distant seas of Hokkaido? This dish, born from that earnest desire, is the "supreme preserved food" created by the patience and rich sensibility of the people of Aizu.

■ The aroma of budding enhances the "richness of aging"

The star of this dish is the vibrant collaboration of herring and "sansho leaves."

• Wrapped in a refreshing breeze: In spring, the young leaves of sansho sprout all at once. Their refreshing aroma and spicy kick soften the strong richness of the herring, bringing out a deep umami.
• Together with the traditional "Aizu Hongō ware": Alternately layering dried herring and sansho leaves in a "herring bowl" made of local traditional craft Hongō ware, and marinating with soy sauce, sake, vinegar, and sugar. The time spent waiting for the flavors to seep in over several days is truly a time waiting for the magic of nature.

■ Enjoying with local sake, Aizu's "Makoto"

With each bite, the concentrated flavors of the sea and the aroma of the mountains spread throughout the mouth.

• The ultimate sake accompaniment: The pairing with Aizu's robust local sake, such as "Suehiro" and "Tsuru no E," is exceptional. The sake enhances the umami of the herring, while the herring highlights the crispness of the sake. This perfect harmony deepens and enriches the night of your journey.

The aesthetics of preservation devised to survive in harsh nature. Would you like to slowly savor the "encounter between the mountains and the sea," passed down over a thousand years, along with the weight of Aizu's history?