In Japanese culinary culture, 'Shun' (seasonal) is central, and because it is produced in abundance in autumn, saury has become a taste symbol of 'autumn of appetite'. The Wakan Sansai Toukai (Wakan Sansai Toukai) describes it as 'thick and flavourful, only available in autumn', and it is even more precious because of the short fishing period from September to November. At the 'Akihabara Festival' in Kushiro Port, Hokkaido, 10,000 people share the salt-grilled saury, and at the autumn auction at the Toyosu Market in Tokyo, the finest saury was sold for 3 million yen, which is an illustration of 'the nobility of the commoner's fish'.
The saury is a source of inspiration for Japanese literature and art. In haiku, Masaoka Zigui uses the phrase 'the taste of the saury, the cat also knows Zen' as a metaphor for the Zen of life; and with Xie Wumura, 'the saury, leaping out of the sea, the moonlit night is cold' embodies the aesthetics of object sorrow. The master of ukiyo-e, Katsushika Hokusai, sketched its streamlined figure, and the Edo period 'Akabane Dish' incorporates the shape of a fish and a wave pattern into pottery. In film and anime, Yasujiro Ozu's 'Taste of Saury' uses fish to show family emotions, and the scene of 'Sakura Komaruko', in which the fish is roasted in a salt-broiled saury, is a national memory.
Saury is also a witness to Japan's history. After the Second World War, when supplies were scarce, it became the people's 'protein saviour' because of its high yield and cheapness, and 'eating three fish at the same time' demonstrated the wisdom of survival. During the Showa period, salt-braised saury with beer was the soul of izakaya, and the proverb, 'When the saury comes out, the massage chair stays hidden,' demonstrates its popularity. Nowadays, Michelin restaurants are using the 'living process' to create high-priced sushi, but the decline of resources and the changing preferences of the younger generation are causing a crisis in the inheritance of the traditional 'flavour of autumn'.
If you want to experience this culture, check out our grilled Pacific saury, frozen saury, and more, which taste great!