Local specialties
Kusaya
- 13Tokyo
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- 13Tokyo
Dish log
A dried fish specialty of the Izu Islands, made by soaking fish such as muroaji (mackerel scad) and flying fish in kusaya brine and drying them.
Dish profile
About this dish
- Main ingredients
- muroaji (mackerel scad), flying fish, aomuro (kusayamoro), and other lean fish, kusaya brine
- History and origin
- It is thought to have been eaten from the mid-Edo period onward. It is presumed that on the islands, where annual taxes were paid in salt and salt was precious, the brine used for drying fish was reused rather than discarded, and the liquid that fermented over time was passed down. Before the Meiji period it was called "shochiruboshi," and there is reportedly a record in Niijima Village of it being offered as tribute in the Edo period.
- When it is eaten
- It is eaten as a side dish with rice and as a snack with shochu or sake.
- How it is eaten
- It is generally eaten grilled, and sometimes eaten half-cooked. When grilling, charcoal at a distance from the fish is best, and at home it is said to be easy to grill in a toaster oven.
Sources
- 東京のくさや｜地域資源紹介記事｜東京都 地域資源（TOKYOイチオシナビ） · Local government · Source checked 2026-10-12
- くさやの「つけ汁」｜東京都島しょ農林水産総合センター · Local government · Source checked 2026-10-12
- くさや｜新島村写真館｜東京都新島村 · Local government · Source checked 2026-10-12
- くさや - Wikipedia · Encyclopedia · Source checked 2026-10-12
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- PorkPork: no direct clue found (absence is not confirmed)
- Alcohol (mirin / sake)Alcohol (mirin / sake): no direct clue found (absence is not confirmed)
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