Shutō (seafood)
Shutō is a specialty shiokara of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, as well as Kochi and Kagoshima prefectures, in Japan.
Ingredients
Shuto is made by salting rare parts of bonito, fermenting it for more than six months, then chopping it up and sometimes adding a mixture of sake and mirin. There is also a tuna type that has a milder character.Etymology
The Chinese characters of the dish means "sake thief" and is derived from the belief that it is a good side dish for sake. Legend has it when eating Shuto, your chopsticks will move so fast that you will want to ‘steal’ ‘sake’.History
Shuto may have originally been prepared and eaten by bonito fishermen, and there are records that it has been eaten in Japan for about 300 years, dating back to the Edo period.It is sometimes known as ‘Japanese anchovies’, which does not refer to the ingredients or manufacturing process, rather the way in which it is used as a salty and savory compliment to many other dishes.
Variations
Variations of shuto include "versions flavoured with yuzu, chilli and other spices, or with spring onions." It may also be made with various other fish such as salmon, sea bream, and saury.Pairings
Although this dish is quite salty, the sake adds a depth to the flavour that may take several samplings to fully appreciate. As a result of the saltiness, a favoured method for savouring this dish is to take a small bite and then follow it with either a drink of alcohol or some rice.In culture
Shotu is a popular souvenir and izakaya dish in Kochi and Kagoshima prefectures, where bonito fish are caught in relative abundance.Shiino Foods Co., Ltd. promotes April 10th as Shuto Day. This date was chosen due to the similar pronunciations of the date and the name of the dish: the month of April can be read as 'shu' and the date 10 as 'to'.