Iwakuni-zushi or thousand leaf sushi 岩国寿司
Thousand-leaf sushi
Originating in the city of Iwakuni, Iwakuni-zushi are a variety of sushi made in a large wooden box and mounted on several floors, making them look like mille-feuilles of rice.
If one is familiar with nigiri-zushi or maki-zushi , there are a multitude of other types of sushi . Including, in particular the Iwakuni-zushi . This variety of sushi, also known as tonosama sushi meaning "sushi of the lord" , is said to have been invented at Iwakuni Castle in feudal times.
Iwakuni is a small town in the prefecture of Yamaguchi, about forty kilometers west of Hiroshima , deeply marked by the military presence since it was the territory of the samurai , before being today one of the bases Japanese cities where the US Marines live.
To read: Visit Iwakuni
But what do Iwakuni-zushi look like? These are layered sushi , which are alternately composed of rice and garnish. Inside are local vegetables such as lotus root, green vegetables, salad and shiitake mushrooms . But also scrambled eggs in an omelette , seaweed and, for the non-vegetarian versions of Iwakuni-zushi , raw fish .
LAYER SUSHI
So far, nothing necessarily very original. Certainly. But the originality of Iwakuni-zushi lies in its manufacture . They are designed in a sort of large wooden box, approximately 50 cm by 30 cm, and 20 cm deep . The sushi master first places the rice in it, then the garnish, over several centimeters, before covering everything with a new layer of rice. And so on, until you have filled the entire box. It even happens, in some recipes, that the “layers” are separated by banana leaves .
COMPACT THE RICE WITH THE FEET
Once the box is filled, place the lid over it, then press the preparation very hard. Several techniques exist: either several people come to rest with their hands on the box to compact everything well, or the sushi master places a towel on the box, puts on special socks and climbs on the box by pressing on the lid with his feet , always with a view to squeezing the future sushi.
When the sushi is well compacted, the frame is carefully removed from the box. This operation must be carried out with great care so that the sushi does not fall to one side or the other. Once the frame is removed, the lid is lifted. And the Iwakuni-zushi is there, with its air of mille-feuille, thanks to the different layers of rice and filling .
A RECIPE PREPARED ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Before tasting, the Iwakuni-zushi is cut all the way up, into small pieces . But, and this is also the originality of this product: we do not taste it with its various layers. We only eat one “tier” at a time. If the initial Iwakuni-zushi is not exposed next to the slices, the novice would be quite incapable of suspecting the gigantic size of this sushi when it is being prepared.
Food lovers can rest assured: if Iwakuni-zushi is the culinary specialty of Iwakuni, it is found throughout the archipelago!
