Masu-zushi
ます寿司Dish
Masu-zushi suits anyone who wants Toyama's best-known dish packed for a train or a picnic, and its one catch is choosing between dozens of makers who each press it differently.
Where to eat Masu-zushi · 1 place
Masu-zushi is salted trout laid over vinegared rice in a round wooden box lined with bamboo leaves, then pressed under a weight. The agriculture ministry traces it to the Kyoho era of the early 1700s, when a samurai cook made sweetfish sushi for the third Toyama lord, Maeda Toshioki, who sent it to the shogun Yoshimune. Later makers switched to the cherry trout that run up the Jinzu River in spring.
The dish spread across Japan as a station lunch box in the Taisho era. Toyama city alone has more than 20 specialist makers, and each sets its own thickness of fish and sharpness of vinegar. Most people in Toyama buy it from a shop and save it for festivals and New Year.
Quick answers about Masu-zushiよくある質問
How do you order Masu-zushi?
Buy it by the round box in one tier or two, fold back the bamboo leaves and cut it into wedges.
When is Masu-zushi in season?
Masu-zushi: Eaten all year.
Where can you eat Masu-zushi in Japan?
Places we list for Masu-zushi include Masunosushi Museum Minamoto.