Both are signature fermented foods of Kaga. Kabura-zushi is salted turnip sandwiching yellowtail, pickled with koji; it has been eaten since at least the Edo period, and some say New Year is not complete without it. Daikon-zushi is dried herring and daikon pickled in amazake made from rice and koji. While kabura-zushi is for special occasions, daikon-zushi has long been an everyday dish made at home.
Sources: maff.go.jp maff.go.jp
This moment in the journey
A Kanazawa evening set
I set the dishes out on a tray by the sunken hearth, with a can of non-alcoholic beer.
The daikon-zushi, a gift from the host, struck a perfect balance between the flavor of its ingredients and the sourness of fermentation. Beside it was sashimi of kagami-dai, caught in the nearby sea, with a shiso leaf.
A dab of wasabi is the signature of jibuni. Its fresh heat went surprisingly well with the thick broth and chicken, making it twice as delicious. A wonderful Kanazawa evening set.
Watch this scene on YouTube5:39
More notes from this journey
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Jibuni
A simmered dish of Ishikawa made with duck, sudare-fu and seasonal vegetables, said to have been eaten by samurai households since at least the Edo period.
From: Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Nodoguro takikomi gohan
Nodoguro is a prized fish, so rich in fat it is called "the toro of white fish." The overnight-dried fish I bought at the market was lightly salted using deep-s…
From: Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Mettajiru
A hearty pork miso soup full of root vegetables, distinguished by using sweet potato in place of the usual potato.
From: Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
My take on Yahoo chazuke
The shop known as "Yahoo chazuke" was Shinano, an ochazuke shop in Katamachi 1-chome, Kanazawa.
From: Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Higashi Chaya District
A teahouse district opened in 1820 on the east side of the Asano River with the approval of the Kaga domain.
From: Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Omicho Market
A market in Musashigatsuji, in the heart of Kanazawa, with roughly 300 years of history going back to the days of the domain.
From: Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen
More notes from Hokuriku & Koshinetsu
Nozawaonsen, Nagano
Onsen tamago boiled in the hot spring
At the Ogama, the main source of Nozawa Onsen, water close to 90 degrees wells up, and locals have long boiled mountain vegetables and eggs in it.
From: Boiling breakfast in a hot spring: life in Nozawa
Nozawaonsen, Nagano
Rice bowl with stir-fried nozawana, fried tofu and onsen tamago
Nozawana is said to descend from Tennoji turnip seeds that the priest of Kenmei-ji temple in Nozawa Onsen brought back from Kyoto in 1756.
From: Boiling breakfast in a hot spring: life in Nozawa
Shiojiri, Nagano
Rice-flour oyaki with nozawana
Oyaki are the signature home dish of Shinshu: a dough of wheat or buckwheat flour rolled thin, wrapped around a filling and baked.
From: Autumn leaves in Narai-juku and an autumn table in Shinshu
Shiojiri, Nagano
Shinshu beef sukiyaki
Nagano's "apple-fed Shinshu beef" is black wagyu that meets standards set by a producers' association; the cattle are fed by-products of the prefecture's food i…
From: Autumn leaves in Narai-juku and an autumn table in Shinshu
Nozawaonsen, Nagano
The Ogama hot-spring source
One of the springs that feed Nozawa Onsen, with water close to 90 degrees.
From: Boiling breakfast in a hot spring: life in Nozawa
Nozawaonsen, Nagano
The Oyu and the 13 sotoyu bathhouses
Nozawa Onsen has 13 sotoyu, communal bathhouses, kept up by villagers through a system called yunakama.
From: Boiling breakfast in a hot spring: life in Nozawa