Fukui's Summer Begins with Mackerel: Grilled Mackerel for Hangetsusei and Preserved Foods Cultivated by the Saba Kaido

Audem Inc. (Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture, CEO Yuki Sasaki) has been operating the consortium "ALL FUKUI" with four companies in Fukui Prefecture since April 2022. At "Fukui Shoku no Kuni 291" (Ginza), a Fukui antenna shop and a hub for food and business exchange jointly operated by ALL FUKUI, a comparative tasting of "mackerel," a local specialty of Fukui, was conducted.

Background of the Content

Around July 2nd, there is a day called "Hangetsusei" (half-moon festival) on the calendar. For people in Fukui, especially around Ono City, the custom of grilling and eating a whole mackerel on this day has continued since the Edo period. It is said to have originated when the lord of the Ono domain distributed grilled mackerel to appease his weary subjects after rice planting, and just as people eat eel on Doyo no Ushi no Hi (midsummer day of the ox), people in Fukui eat mackerel on Hangetsusei.

Why has mackerel culture taken root so deeply in Fukui? The answer is "Saba Kaido" (Mackerel Road). It is an approximately 80km mountain road from Wakasa-Obama to Kyoto, used to transport seafood. The wisdom of transporting mackerel, which would become ready to eat by the time it reached Kyoto after being seasoned with salt during the journey, rooted a preservation culture in Fukui of "salting, pickling, and drying mackerel."

Fukui's representative fermented food, "Heshiko," also lies along the extension of the Saba Kaido. However, when you try to buy "mackerel," there are multiple manufacturers for Heshiko alone, and including mackerel cans, processed foods, and seasonings, the variety is enormous.

"Which mackerel from Fukui should I choose?"

"I've never tried Heshiko, is it too rich?"

"Are mackerel cans really that different?"

Prompted by customer feedback, the staff themselves planned a comprehensive comparison of Fukui's mackerel products.

From its raw form, it transforms into fermented food, grilled food, pasta sauce, canned food, and even mayonnaise. There is no other region besides Fukui where a single "mackerel" takes on such diverse forms. Even if you go to Fukui, it's hard to find a place where you can compare this many processed mackerel products at once.

Please see the results of the mackerel tasting at "Fukui Shoku no Kuni 291."

note: FUKUI ANTENNA SHOP 291

https://note.com/fukui_291/n/nc18c490cdc59

Products Introduced This Time

[Heshiko] Fermented food born from the Saba Kaido

Echizen Sansui Saba no Heshiko 1 whole fish

Echizen Sansui Heshiko Sliced Sashimi 10 slices

Fukumaru Foods Saba Heshiko Half (Pyrol-rice bran)

Dairaya Kombu Heshiko

[Heshiko Transforms] Processed foods expanding fermented food

Echizen Tamuraya Saba no Heshiko Peperoncino

Echizen Sansui Grilled Saba Heshiko Chili Oil

Machizukuri Obama Heshiko Bagna Cauda

[Mackerel Cans & Mackerel Sauce] Mackerel that transforms into both Western and Japanese dishes

Fukui Can Co., Ltd. Kenko Saba Can (with Flaxseed Oil)

Wakashiro Sabastian

Wakashiro Sabanaise

[Snacks & Furikake] Mackerel to eat as is

Tsuruga Works Co., Ltd. Grilled Mackerel Jerky

Tsuruga Works Co., Ltd. Ready-to-eat Grilled Mackerel Flakes

Kitamaebune no Kawamoto Soft Furikake The Saba Meshi

Features of the Content

This content introduces a total of 14 types of products, symbolizing Fukui's mackerel culture, from "raw heshiko" to "saba mayo," by having store staff and visitors actually taste them and presenting their real impressions.

Additionally, it covers:

Historical and cultural background of Hangetsusei mackerel and the Saba Kaido

Ways to eat Heshiko (with sliced daikon radish, grilled, used in pasta sauce)

Reasons why mackerel cans are called "not like canned food"

How to deliciously eat Saba Mayo (Sabanaise)

It verifies the depth of Fukui's local specialty, "mackerel."

Where to buy in Fukui is scattered... Here's where to find them all in Tokyo

These mackerel products are made in Fukui Prefecture and are popular in ordinary Fukui households. When asked "Whose Heshiko is it?" in Fukui, people will say, "We have the one from XX," as each household has its "favorite Heshiko."

However, it's quite difficult to go all the way to Fukui to purchase them. Even if you go to Fukui, Heshiko is made in Obama, mackerel cans in Obama and Fukui City, and processed foods in Echizen and Mikuni, each made in different regions and by different stores, so you can't compare this many manufacturers at once.

The reason we could taste and compare so many mackerel products at once this time is precisely because of "Fukui Shoku no Kuni 291," Fukui's antenna shop in Ginza.

In commemoration of Hangetsusei (around July 2nd), those interested in Fukui's mackerel culture are encouraged to read the note article.

note: FUKUI ANTENNA SHOP 291

https://note.com/fukui_291/n/nc18c490cdc59

Inquiry Reception Guide

Fukui's antenna shop "Fukui Shoku no Kuni 291" welcomes inquiries about mackerel feature content, Fukui's local cuisine, Saba Kaido culture, and specialty products.

Fukui's local specialty is "mackerel."

Just as people eat eel on Doyo no Ushi no Hi, the custom of eating mackerel on Hangetsusei has continued in Fukui since the Edo period. In Ginza, there is a shop offering a diverse range of mackerel processed foods, from "Heshiko," a preserved food born from the Saba Kaido, to "Saba Mayo," popular among younger generations.

FUKUI ANTENNA SHOP 291 https://www.fukui291.jp/

Company Profile

Company Name

Audem Inc.

Representative Director

Yuki Sasaki

Location

1-15-2 Tsuganono-cho, Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture

Establishment

August 1, 2018

URL

https://audem.co.jp/