Ayu Cuisine

Ayu, or sweetfish, are small freshwater fish found in rivers and streams. They live only in clean, fast-moving water and therefore live primarily in habitats like the Yoshino River (known also as the Kinokawa River), which is fed by clear spring water from the mountains. These relatively rare conditions have made ayu highly prized. In Kawakami, ayu cuisine comes in many forms, ranging from pre-grilled ayu sold takeout-style at the local roadside market (michi no eki) to multicourse dinners that feature ayu in a range of elegant preparations.

Salt-grilling, or shioyaki, is the classic way of cooking ayu. Coarse salt is applied to the fins and tail to keep them from burning, and the fish is skewered whole on a bamboo stick and grilled. Despite this seemingly simple preparation, there is an art to skewering the fish so that its body forms an undulating wave (reminiscent of swimming). When eating salt-grilled ayu, it is common to eat the entire fish, including the salted fins.

Other dishes are more complex. Ayu sashimi is prepared by cutting most of the meat from the body, slicing it into thin pieces, and neatly arranging it between the head and tail. Ayu can also be made into tempura, either fried whole or in delicate fillets, or served stewed with ginger, sweetened soy sauce, and sanshō peppercorns. It sometimes features in kamameshi, a dish similar to pilaf, paella, or biryani, in which rice is cooked with diced vegetables and seasoned with soy sauce, miso, and other flavorings in a small iron pot. In this preparation, a whole ayu is nestled into the rice and cooked together with the other ingredients, sometimes with an egg cracked over the top. There are almost as many ways to eat ayu as there are fish in the Yoshino River!

Several hotels and traditional inns in Kawakami serve ayu cuisine, and their multicourse meals give diners the chance to try a variety of sweetfish dishes.