Japan is a country associated with the sea, so the food they consume every day is related to the fresh food caught from the sea. Referring to the land of the rising sun is referring to the long-standing traditional culture with the meticulous attention to detail. Therefore, enjoying fresh food is also considered in the unique culture of Japan. Especially for fish, the average consumption of cherry blossoms will be 5 times higher than that of other countries in the world.

Shirouo no Odorigui is a traditional Japanese dish made from transparent young fish. Odorigui in Japanese means “dancing when eaten”, and as the name implies, when you enjoy this dish, the young fish will “dance” in your mouth, making you extremely excited. , in the Edo period over 300 years ago, spring floods often caused great damage to crops in Fukuoka as well as southern Japan. Therefore, the landlord (daimyo) here hired farmers from nearby villages to clean up after the disaster. In thanks, daimyo gave these farmers a few barrels of sake so they could drink right on the river bank. While drinking, they grabbed the small fish underwater with their hands and put them in their mouths. Since then began the tradition of eating Shirouo in Fukuoka and gradually gained popularity in many localities of Japan.

Hirouo are very small fish, transparent and eaten raw, They look like mirror eels and 13 cm long. In English, it is called ice goby, and in Japanese it is called shiro-uo, which is the fish used to make shirauo no odorigui, or raw fish. Small fish will struggle in your mouth when you eat them, which is why it’s called “shiro no odorigui”, meaning “dancing fish”. The interesting thing about this dish is to feel the fish dancing in the mouth when eating, many people think that the interesting thing about Shirouo no odorigui is that when you eat, the fish will dance or sniff in the mouth. And this is a very interesting feeling.Shiro no odorigui (dancing fish).

These transparent fish are kept in a large bowl containing little water. People prepare one more egg and some vinegar. When eating, diners crack the egg into a cup and mix with a little vinegar. The vinegar mixes into the shirouo to make the fish scratchy, making the fish “dance” stronger than usual, creating a “feeling” more for people to enjoy. Many people often chew small fish, but how to enjoy Shirouo no Odorigui It must really be swallowed raw and drunk with sake. Meanwhile, the feeling of the fish “swimming around” in the stomach will make anyone who has the opportunity to enjoy are surprised and excited. And this is also a unique point, making Shirouo no Odorigui become a specialty dish unique to Japan.

Shirouo fish are only available in the spring, so when Japanese people enjoy this dish, it is also the time when the cold winter is over. In Japan, there are many restaurants serving Shirouo no Odorigui which are only open during the season of Shirouo fish. These restaurants only seem to exist as spring and will be dismantled by the end of the annual Shirouo season. If you have the opportunity to visit the land of the rising sun and love the raw food, you will not be able to miss this interesting dish.