From the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | |
| Carp rounds, and the carp’s head | 5 pieces |
| Cooked rice | 20 g |
| Seasonings and liquids | |
| Sugar | 1 teaspoon |
| Sake | 100 ml |
| Miso | 100 g |
| Water | 1,500 to 2,000 ml |
Saku City is in the east of Nagano Prefecture, on the Saku plain, where two crops a year are difficult. There, carp are raised in rice fields.
The story is that Saku carp farming began in the Tenmei years, when a draper of Sakurai, Usuda Tan’emon, brought carp from Osaka. In 1825, the lord of Iwamurada, Naito Bungo no Kami, gave “Yodo carp” he had brought back from Osaka to a rich merchant of Nozawa, Namiki Shichizaemon, and the farming took hold.
From 1872, as machine silk-reeling developed, silkworm pupae became easy to get, and they could be used as feed, so carp could be raised in great numbers. Carp farming grew quickly, and the name “Saku carp” became known across Japan.
In time, with changes in eating habits and the spread of farm chemicals, carp farming in Saku gradually faded. In recent years, with less use of chemicals and with the reduction of rice fields, efforts to bring Saku carp back began.
Carp are usually shipped after two years, but Saku carp take three to four years to grow to a size good for eating.
Carp is a fish that mountain communities need for weddings and funerals. It is often eaten at New Year, with the wish “to spend the year healthy, without illness.”
The carp is boldly cut into round pieces and simmered in miso. Whether to add sugar to the miso, or take the scales off, differs by region and home. Ground sansho pepper is sprinkled on as one likes.
It is still made at home and served in local restaurants and inns. Every May, the “Saku Koi Festival” is held. January 6 is “Saku Carp Birthday,” set by the Japan Anniversary Association, because on that day in 1746, a man of Saku is said to have offered carp dishes to Ise Shrine.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.