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“I don’t think we should open it here，” warns Kazuyuki Ohashi， the executive chef at Lake Biwa Marriott Hotel， as he motions2 toward a crowd of diners. “It’s like blue cheese—some people like the taste， but it has a very strong smell.”
Ohashi is talking about sushi， but not the kind most of us are used to. Narezushi， the most primitive， earliest form of sushi， is a world away from your California rolls and sliced sashimi3.
Dating back to the 10th century in Japan， this fermented4 fish was preserved with salt and raw rice， eventually giving way to5 the nigiri6 （sliced seafood atop rice） we know and love today.
Sushi’s origin story
Narezushi is fermented fish pickled7 with rice—a practice common in much of Southeast Asia around the 2nd century CE. It’s thought to have migrated to Japan around the 8th century， but written documentation of “narezushi” didn’t appear until the 10th century. “Many people here consider this a family-style fish，” says chef Ohashi. “Most families had their own recipes， passed down from generation to generation.”
Around Lake Biwa—the largest lake in Japan， just north of Kyoto—narezushi was a household staple and an important source of protein. In a time before refrigerators， families relied on rice and salt to ferment and preserve the fish—usually stored layered in barrels—in the hope of saving it for as long as possible.
Narezushi can be made with yellowtail8， or ayu9， but the most common type in the Lake Biwa area is funazushi10， made from nigorobuna11 fish. Most families have their own distinct recipe， but all share a similar methodology.
First， the fish is scaled12， gutted13 and preserved in salt for a few months. Then， it’s combined with rice and left to ferment. As long as there’s a dark storage space at room temperature， the fish can be left for a few months， years or even decades.
For many centuries， people ate only the fish and threw the fermented “stinky rice” out. But around the 1500s， people began consuming half-fermented fish and rice together—thus paving the way for modern sushi.
What does it taste like？
At first glance， narezushi looks nothing like modern sushi. It’s usually sold as one whole fish， covered in a goopy14， yogurt-like sauce.
To serve， sushi chefs will slice the fish into thin layers and arrange them atop a bed of rice in a beautiful pattern. Sometimes， they prepare narezushi as porridge with hot tea （called ochazuke-rice15）， or even fry it up like tempura16. But no matter how it’s prepared， narezushi is one of those divisive foods that will either make or break your dinner because of the sushi’s sewage-like aroma and mouth-puckeringly17 sour taste. Of course， for connoisseurs， the stinkier， the better.
“The people who love funazushi， they really love it. The first time I tasted it， I was actually in high school， around 16 or 17 years old，” says Ohashi. “I thought it was really gross. But my father， who was also a chef， enjoyed these things. He put it in a soup for me， which I enjoyed much better.”
While he couldn’t quite stomach18 it at first， Ohashi says the taste has grown on19 him over time. “Now I enjoy it. Over time， the lactic acid20 and bacteria in the rice breaks down the fish and， if done properly， even the head can be fully consumed. That’s the sign of a good funazushi，” he adds. “The technique is a thing to be proud of—we are proud of making this sushi for 1，000 years. When you eat funazushi， you can feel the history.”
To Ohashi’s knowledge， the oldest funazushi has been fermented for a century. “If it’s 100 years old， it’s still not rotten because of the fermentation，” says Ohashi. “By that time， it wouldn’t be much more than liquid.”
The older it is， the rarer it is—and old narezushi can cost hundreds of US dollars， though the most common types will have aged for about one year.
“咱们别在这里打开它。”琵琶湖萬豪酒店的行政总厨大桥和幸提醒道，他示意边上还有一群食客。“它就像蓝纹奶酪一样，有些人喜欢它的味道，但它的味道很大。”
大桥说的是一种寿司，但不是我们大多数人吃得惯的那种。熟寿司是一种最原始、最古老的寿司，与我们平常吃的加州卷和生鱼片相距甚远。
这种用盐和生米腌制的发酵鱼始于10世纪的日本，但最终被今天为世人熟知和喜爱的握寿司取代。后者是一种将切片海鲜放置在米团上的寿司。
寿司起源
熟寿司是一种用米腌制的发酵鱼。公元2世纪左右，这种制鱼方法在东南亚大部分地区非常普遍。据传熟寿司于8世纪左右便已传入日本，但直到10世纪才出现有关“熟寿司”的文字记录。“对许多日本人来说，熟寿司是一道家常菜品。”大桥说，“大多数家庭都有自己的熟寿司做法，世代相传。”
位于京都市北部的琵琶湖是日本最大的湖泊。熟寿司是当地家庭的主食和重要的蛋白质来源。冰箱问世以前，人们依靠大米和盐来发酵和腌制鱼。鱼通常分层存放在桶中，以期尽可能长期保存。
熟寿司可选用黄条鰤或鲭鱼腌制，但琵琶湖地区最常见的熟寿司是用圆鲫鱼做的鲫鱼寿司。大多数家庭都有自家的独门秘诀，但制作方法彼此类似。
首先将鱼去鳞，去内脏，并用盐腌制几个月，然后将其与大米混合发酵。只要在室温下避光储藏，就可以保存几个月、几年甚至几十年。
几百年中，人们只吃鱼，把发酵的“臭米”扔掉。但15世纪左右，人们开始一起食用半发酵的鱼和大米，从而为现代寿司的诞生铺平了道路。
味道如何？
乍看之下，熟寿司与现代寿司截然不同。熟寿司通常以整鱼出售，上面裹着一层类似酸奶的黏糊糊的酱料。
上菜时，寿司厨师会将鱼切成薄片，然后放在米饭上摆成精美的图案。有时，他们也会将熟寿司做成淋以热茶的鱼粥（或称茶泡饭），甚至像炸天妇罗一样炸熟寿司。
但无论如何烹制，由于其污水般的气味和酸臭刺激的口感，熟寿司都是一种令人非爱即恨的食物，要么合你口味，要么让你倒胃。当然，对于行家而言，越臭越好。
“喜欢鲫鱼寿司的人，是发自肺腑地喜欢。事实上，我第一次尝鲫鱼寿司时还在念高中，大概十六七岁。” 大桥说，“我觉得太恶心了，但我父亲却很喜欢。他也是一名厨师，他把鲫鱼寿司做到汤里给我吃，我就觉得味道好多了。”
虽然起初不能完全忍受，但大桥说，时间久了他越来越喜欢这种味道。“现在我喜欢鲫鱼寿司。随着时间的流逝，大米中的乳酸和细菌会把鱼分解。如果处理得当，连鱼头都可以吃得一干二净。好的鲫鱼寿司就是这样。”他补充道，“这项烹饪手艺令人骄傲。我们做这种寿司已有1000年历史，为此我们感到很自豪。品尝鲫鱼寿司时，你可以感受到历史。”
据大桥所知，最古老的鲫鱼寿司已发酵了一个世纪。大桥说：“发酵了100年还没有腐烂，但恐怕也已经化成水了。”
熟寿司的年份越久就越稀有。尽管最普通的熟寿司要发酵大约一年，要品尝古味熟寿司，依然可能花费数百美元。□
（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）
Ohashi is talking about sushi， but not the kind most of us are used to. Narezushi， the most primitive， earliest form of sushi， is a world away from your California rolls and sliced sashimi3.
Dating back to the 10th century in Japan， this fermented4 fish was preserved with salt and raw rice， eventually giving way to5 the nigiri6 （sliced seafood atop rice） we know and love today.
Sushi’s origin story
Narezushi is fermented fish pickled7 with rice—a practice common in much of Southeast Asia around the 2nd century CE. It’s thought to have migrated to Japan around the 8th century， but written documentation of “narezushi” didn’t appear until the 10th century. “Many people here consider this a family-style fish，” says chef Ohashi. “Most families had their own recipes， passed down from generation to generation.”
Around Lake Biwa—the largest lake in Japan， just north of Kyoto—narezushi was a household staple and an important source of protein. In a time before refrigerators， families relied on rice and salt to ferment and preserve the fish—usually stored layered in barrels—in the hope of saving it for as long as possible.
Narezushi can be made with yellowtail8， or ayu9， but the most common type in the Lake Biwa area is funazushi10， made from nigorobuna11 fish. Most families have their own distinct recipe， but all share a similar methodology.
First， the fish is scaled12， gutted13 and preserved in salt for a few months. Then， it’s combined with rice and left to ferment. As long as there’s a dark storage space at room temperature， the fish can be left for a few months， years or even decades.
For many centuries， people ate only the fish and threw the fermented “stinky rice” out. But around the 1500s， people began consuming half-fermented fish and rice together—thus paving the way for modern sushi.
What does it taste like？
At first glance， narezushi looks nothing like modern sushi. It’s usually sold as one whole fish， covered in a goopy14， yogurt-like sauce.
To serve， sushi chefs will slice the fish into thin layers and arrange them atop a bed of rice in a beautiful pattern. Sometimes， they prepare narezushi as porridge with hot tea （called ochazuke-rice15）， or even fry it up like tempura16. But no matter how it’s prepared， narezushi is one of those divisive foods that will either make or break your dinner because of the sushi’s sewage-like aroma and mouth-puckeringly17 sour taste. Of course， for connoisseurs， the stinkier， the better.
“The people who love funazushi， they really love it. The first time I tasted it， I was actually in high school， around 16 or 17 years old，” says Ohashi. “I thought it was really gross. But my father， who was also a chef， enjoyed these things. He put it in a soup for me， which I enjoyed much better.”
While he couldn’t quite stomach18 it at first， Ohashi says the taste has grown on19 him over time. “Now I enjoy it. Over time， the lactic acid20 and bacteria in the rice breaks down the fish and， if done properly， even the head can be fully consumed. That’s the sign of a good funazushi，” he adds. “The technique is a thing to be proud of—we are proud of making this sushi for 1，000 years. When you eat funazushi， you can feel the history.”
To Ohashi’s knowledge， the oldest funazushi has been fermented for a century. “If it’s 100 years old， it’s still not rotten because of the fermentation，” says Ohashi. “By that time， it wouldn’t be much more than liquid.”
The older it is， the rarer it is—and old narezushi can cost hundreds of US dollars， though the most common types will have aged for about one year.
“咱们别在这里打开它。”琵琶湖萬豪酒店的行政总厨大桥和幸提醒道，他示意边上还有一群食客。“它就像蓝纹奶酪一样，有些人喜欢它的味道，但它的味道很大。”
大桥说的是一种寿司，但不是我们大多数人吃得惯的那种。熟寿司是一种最原始、最古老的寿司，与我们平常吃的加州卷和生鱼片相距甚远。
这种用盐和生米腌制的发酵鱼始于10世纪的日本，但最终被今天为世人熟知和喜爱的握寿司取代。后者是一种将切片海鲜放置在米团上的寿司。
寿司起源
熟寿司是一种用米腌制的发酵鱼。公元2世纪左右，这种制鱼方法在东南亚大部分地区非常普遍。据传熟寿司于8世纪左右便已传入日本，但直到10世纪才出现有关“熟寿司”的文字记录。“对许多日本人来说，熟寿司是一道家常菜品。”大桥说，“大多数家庭都有自己的熟寿司做法，世代相传。”
位于京都市北部的琵琶湖是日本最大的湖泊。熟寿司是当地家庭的主食和重要的蛋白质来源。冰箱问世以前，人们依靠大米和盐来发酵和腌制鱼。鱼通常分层存放在桶中，以期尽可能长期保存。
熟寿司可选用黄条鰤或鲭鱼腌制，但琵琶湖地区最常见的熟寿司是用圆鲫鱼做的鲫鱼寿司。大多数家庭都有自家的独门秘诀，但制作方法彼此类似。
首先将鱼去鳞，去内脏，并用盐腌制几个月，然后将其与大米混合发酵。只要在室温下避光储藏，就可以保存几个月、几年甚至几十年。
几百年中，人们只吃鱼，把发酵的“臭米”扔掉。但15世纪左右，人们开始一起食用半发酵的鱼和大米，从而为现代寿司的诞生铺平了道路。
味道如何？
乍看之下，熟寿司与现代寿司截然不同。熟寿司通常以整鱼出售，上面裹着一层类似酸奶的黏糊糊的酱料。
上菜时，寿司厨师会将鱼切成薄片，然后放在米饭上摆成精美的图案。有时，他们也会将熟寿司做成淋以热茶的鱼粥（或称茶泡饭），甚至像炸天妇罗一样炸熟寿司。
但无论如何烹制，由于其污水般的气味和酸臭刺激的口感，熟寿司都是一种令人非爱即恨的食物，要么合你口味，要么让你倒胃。当然，对于行家而言，越臭越好。
“喜欢鲫鱼寿司的人，是发自肺腑地喜欢。事实上，我第一次尝鲫鱼寿司时还在念高中，大概十六七岁。” 大桥说，“我觉得太恶心了，但我父亲却很喜欢。他也是一名厨师，他把鲫鱼寿司做到汤里给我吃，我就觉得味道好多了。”
虽然起初不能完全忍受，但大桥说，时间久了他越来越喜欢这种味道。“现在我喜欢鲫鱼寿司。随着时间的流逝，大米中的乳酸和细菌会把鱼分解。如果处理得当，连鱼头都可以吃得一干二净。好的鲫鱼寿司就是这样。”他补充道，“这项烹饪手艺令人骄傲。我们做这种寿司已有1000年历史，为此我们感到很自豪。品尝鲫鱼寿司时，你可以感受到历史。”
据大桥所知，最古老的鲫鱼寿司已发酵了一个世纪。大桥说：“发酵了100年还没有腐烂，但恐怕也已经化成水了。”
熟寿司的年份越久就越稀有。尽管最普通的熟寿司要发酵大约一年，要品尝古味熟寿司，依然可能花费数百美元。□
（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）