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Japan Times
13-05-2025
- General
- Japan Times
Shiga chef turns stinky sushi into cheesecake
A restaurant chef in Shiga Prefecture has developed a cheesecake using an ingredient from funazushi, one of Japan's pungent traditional sushi types known as narezushi, in an effort to draw more attention to the western region's local cuisine. Funazushi uses rice with nigorobuna crucian carp or other fish caught in Shiga Prefecture's Lake Biwa, the country's largest freshwater lake. As the fish and rice are fermented with salt, it has a strong smell. Girasole, a restaurant in the city of Hikone, has been serving the funazushi-derived Basque-style cheesecake since April 2021. The cake was created by owner and chef Shoichi Kojima, 40, who moved to Hikone in 2015 after getting married. The native of the central prefecture of Yamanashi was not familiar with funazushi before coming to the city but got hooked on the food after trying to make it at a friend's suggestion. To develop a recipe, he adopted a local lake fish broker's advice to use powdered "ii," or the fermented rice of funazushi. "I thought funazushi and cheese are both fermented foods and would go well together," Kojima says. After several failures, he finally hit on the right ii-to-dough ratio and completed the recipe in February 2021. Noting that the cake has been selling well, Kojima expressed hope that it will offer an opportunity for funazushi lovers to rediscover its appeal and attract interest from those who have never tried it. In Shiga, some other restaurants are also trying to cultivate the fermented food's potential, by using ii in potato salad and sandwiching homemade funazushi between buns. Michinori Hashimoto, a Kyoto Kacho University professor who is well-versed in the history of funazushi, said that the method for making the preservative food has changed over time. It is now common to marinate funazushi ingredients in summer when fermentation occurs more easily. A cookbook published during the Edo Period (1603-1868), however, describes how to marinate them in winter, according to Hashimoto. "Modifying (the recipe) according to the times will help pass on funazushi to young people and the next generation," he says.
12-05-2025
- Business
Shiga Chef Turns Stinky Sushi into Cheesecake
News from Japan Society May 12, 2025 19:09 (JST) Hikone, Shiga Pref., May 12 (Jiji Press)--A restaurant chef in Shiga Prefecture has developed cheesecake using an ingredient of "funazushi," one of Japan's stinky original sushi called narezushi, in an effort to attract more people's attention to the western prefecture's local food. Funazushi uses "nigorobuna" crucian carp or other fish caught in Lake Biwa in the prefecture, the country's largest freshwater lake, and rice. As the fish and rice are fermented with salt, it has a strong smell. Girasole, the restaurant in the city of Hikone, has been serving the funazushi-derived, Basque-style cheesecake since April 2021. The cake was created by owner and chef Shoichi Kojima, 40, who moved to Hikone in 2015 due to marriage. The native of the central prefecture of Yamanashi had not been familiar with funazushi before coming to the city but got hooked on the food after trying to make one at a friend's suggestion. To develop a recipe, he adopted a local lake fish broker's advice that powdered "ii," or funazushi's fermented rice, be used. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
