Shottsuru

An amber liquid seasoning made by long-fermenting fish, carrying both saltiness and a deep umami. It's surprisingly free of fishy odor, since the fermentation process breaks fish protein down into the umami compounds that define its flavor. Even a small amount added to a hot pot deepens the whole broth, functioning less like a seasoning added to ingredients and more like the broth itself.

Local catch — chiefly hatahata (sailfin sandfish) — is packed whole or with its innards in salt and left to ferment for over a year. The flesh gradually breaks down into liquid, which is then strained off and used as a seasoning. The long fermentation is said to break down the compounds behind fishy odor while concentrating umami compounds in their place.

It's said to have grown out of a preserved-food tradition along Akita's coast, with home brewing dating back to the early Edo period. Preserving the hatahata caught in bulk each winter, and stretching limited ingredients into a source of salt and umami, is thought to have driven its development. It's counted one of the fish sauces still made in Japan, known above all as the seasoning behind the winter hot pot shottsuru-nabe.