Making くさや Kusaya, a Japanese style salted-dried fish from Hachijojima

Kusaya (くさや - smells bad) is a Japanese style salted-dried fish. It is famous for its malodorousness, and it is often a subject of taste controversies. Though the smell of Kusaya is strong, its taste is quite mellow.

Kusaya originated in the Izu Islands, where during the Edo period people used to earn a living through salt making. Villagers paid taxes to the government with the salt they made and as taxes were high, salt for fish-curing was used frugally.

The same salt was used many times for this purpose, resulting in a stinky dried fish, which was later called Kusaya. The resulting, tea-colored, sticky, stinky brine was passed on from generation to generation as a family heirloom.

The 100 years old brine used to make Kusaya, which includes many vitamins and organic acids such as acetic acid, propionic acid and amino acid, contributes much nutritional value to the resulting dried fish.

Mackerel scad (Decapterus macarellus), flyingfish and other similar species are used to make Kusaya. The fish is washed in clear water many times before being soaked in a brine called Kusaya eki (くさや液 , literally Kusaya brine) for eight to twenty hours. This mixture has a salt concentration of 8%, compared to the concentration of 18% to 20% in common fish curing brines. After this process the fish are laid out under the sun to dry for one to two days.

Akiyoshi Yamamoto, the famous Kusaya maker from Hachijojima:
http://www.rakuten.co.jp/kusaya/

This documentary belongs to a series called "ADEYTO -visual diary-" that began due to the fact that ADEYTO is to busy to actually write a diary entry.

Shot by ADEYTO on a digital photo camera. Created by ADEYTO.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Kusaya
• Hachijojima
• くさや
• 八丈島
• 仲屋商店
• Nakaya-Shoten
• 山本
• Yamamoto
• Akiyoshi
• dried
• fish
• ADEYTO
• Ishikawa
• Sayuri

[shiaiii]

昨日テレビを見ました。祭　熱かったですね！

日本の文化、伝統を広めてくれたありがとうございます。

日本文化は、古い伝統を継続する保守的な面と、新技術に見られる­革新的な両面を持つのが日本文化の特徴です。和を重んじ、相手を­尊重し、自然を愛し、この世にあるすべての物に魂を感じ愛着を持­とうとする日本の精神文化は日本人でも素晴らしいと思います。こ­のような文化を与えてくれた日本の自然に感謝です。たとえ肌の色­が違っても日本の心を持てる人が日本人です。１０００年後、この­国に暮らす人々が全て黒人になっても、すべて中国人になっても、­すべてヨーロッパ人になっても昔の日本人が愛した物を愛し、昔の­の日本人と同じような心を持つなら日本人は民族が途絶えても本望­です。日本人は世界一の道義国家です。どんなことになっても道理­を通すのが日本人だからです。

[Adeyto]

@shiaiii 素敵な言葉ありがとうございます！観てくれても、本当にありがと­うございます！

[RepofPhil]

what is the title of the background music?

[Adeyto]

@RepofPhil it's written at 1:33 if you do look...

[awhatzable]

that fish is nice, but not by itself..

[TheLegend1245]

All dried fish taste good, expensive like 7.99 lb, and smell bad

[tiecuando]

Yum!

[JimSpaceAgency]

I had Kusaya in Hachijo. I'm not keen on Natto, but Kusaya was fine. I liked the vegetables in Hachijo too. Ashitaba, etc.

[sharkiesupernova]

i live in japan (born and raised in the states but jpnese) we were GIVEN kusaya today and it was the first time i ever EVER come across kusaya. its supposedly good with sake and stuff, but mom and i have never smelt it. we both gagged and i threw up. my dad ate a piece and gagged.. he said its not that bad in taste.. but the SMELL is.. omg i cant even stnad a wiff of it!

[Lvduggo69]

I'm going to try some. If I can find it.

I live in las Vegas nv. USA We have a great little china town here ill look for it. Thanks.

I think ?