Shizuoka's food cultureKnow

A local dish made in the Izu region on special occasions such as festivals.

Originally a fisherman's meal, locally caught mackerel is used. Box sushi consists of shredded fish meat (locally called oboro) and simmered ingredients such as carrots and shiitake mushrooms placed on top of vinegared rice packed in a wooden box.

It is said that the origin of box sushi comes from the fact that when the monk Nichiren was exiled to Izu by the Kamakura shogunate in 1261, the fishermen who hid him carried his breakfast and dinner in stacked boxes made of latticework.

Oboro is made using locally caught fish, so in some areas horse mackerel and alfonsino are used in addition to mackerel.

Ingredients used 

Mackerel, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, lotus root, eggs

How to eat

The wooden box is stuffed with vinegared rice and topped with ingredients. Mackerel is boiled, the bones are removed, the flesh is broken up, and then fried and seasoned with sugar and soy sauce, or boiled carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and cherry shrimp are topped. Depending on the region, the fish used to make oboro is horse mackerel or alfonsino. In recent years, canned mackerel and canned tuna are often used, as raw fish is too much work to prepare.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Our local cuisine）

Image source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Our Local Cuisine)