Fermented & preserved
Kasu-zu
Handa's sake-lees red vinegar that shaped Edo sushi
A reddish vinegar brewed from sake lees, said to have been developed in the Edo period by a sake brewer in Handa, Aichi. Because it offered strong umami at a lower cost than the pricier rice vinegar of the day, it is credited with helping fuel the spread of nigiri sushi in Edo.
- Origin: Aichi Handa
- About 270 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Reddish amber in color, with a mellow, rounded umami that plain rice vinegar doesn't have. Amino acids carried over from the sake lees give it a soft acidity with little sharp edge. Used in Edo-style sushi rice, it lends both a reddish tint and a deeper richness, said to recreate the classic look and flavor that predates today's white sushi rice.
How it's made
Sake lees — the solids left over after pressing sake — form the main raw material, fermented further with acetic acid bacteria. Unlike rice vinegar, which uses rice directly, this repurposes a brewing byproduct, letting makers produce a strongly umami vinegar at lower ingredient cost. Long aging is said to mellow the sake lees' particular aroma while shifting the color toward red.
Why it took this shape
It's said to have been developed in the Edo period by a sake brewer in Handa, Aichi. As a sake-brewing town, Handa had ready access to sake lees, and using this inexpensive byproduct in place of the far pricier rice vinegar of the day is thought to have been the original idea behind it. Good sea access to Edo also helped, and it's credited with fueling the spread of nigiri sushi there.
Dishes in the same style
- Achara ZukeWhite melon, eggplant, and lotus root are pickled in a sweet vinegar spiked with red chili — the name is said to trace to the Portuguese 'achar', carried in through Hakata Bay's old trade, and an odd number of vegetables is used for Obon hospitality.
- AhodakiOld takuan pickle, once its flavor and aroma have faded, is desalted and simmered again in soy sauce, a pantry staple from the Hokusei area. Its name — playfully self-deprecating, roughly "doing a foolish thing" — nods to eating it well past its prime, a frugal way to waste nothing.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Aichi
- Funa MisoCrucian carp is simmered slowly with soybeans for around five hours, then finished in a sauce of red miso and coarse sugar. A freshwater fish dish of the Kiso rivers' lower basin, made with fatty winter carp simmered until the bones soften through.
- Gohei MochiFreshly cooked non-glutinous rice is pounded, pressed flat on a skewer, and grilled with a miso glaze. Said to have originated in the mountainous Chubu region, it's traditionally made the night before a festival praying for safety in mountain work.
- Aichi HakozushiVinegared rice is packed into a wooden frame, topped with shrimp, eel, shiitake, and egg arranged diagonally, and pressed. Placing toppings on the diagonal so everyone gets a fair share of each is said to be a feature of the Owari and western Mikawa style, made for celebrations.
- Hebo MeshiAdult and larval giant hornets are simmered sweet and savory, then folded into freshly cooked rice. Said to have served as a prized protein source across the mountains from Shinshu to Okumikawa, it's now more often served as a treat for guests.
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
- Aichi Miso OdenA pot of sweet red miso sits in the center of the simmering pot, and daikon, tofu, and other ingredients simmered in dashi are dipped into it before eating. While soy-based Kanto-style oden spread in Edo, Aichi is said to have settled on dipping in soybean miso instead.