Autumn flavors

Sanma (Pacific saury) is one of the most popular and delicious autumn fish. Pacific saury have a shiny silvery thin body, as shown by the Chinese characters in its name (autumn sword fish). They migrate from coastal seas of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk to southern seas around Okinawa, and return to northern seas for spawning in late October and November. The good taste of Pacific saury peaks during this period because they have a lot of fat on their body. It is said that ordinary Japanese had not be able to eat sanma before the Edo era. Since a lot of smoke is generated when roasting the fatty fish, people used to cook it outdoors using a shichirin (small charcoal grill).
In addition to seafood, many other delicious autumn foods are harvested, such as vegetables, nuts and mushrooms. For example, sweet potatoes, which were introduced from China via Kyushu, matsutake mushrooms which are highly valued as the “king of wild delicacies”, persimmons and chestnuts are typical autumn flavors, which are so popular that they are often used in Japanese traditional poems as seasonal items representing autumn.
Although many foods are now available throughout the year thanks to advanced agricultural technology, they still taste the best when harvested in their season. Let's appreciate natural blessings and enjoy superb seasonal flavors and atmosphere!