{"id":2609,"date":"2025-09-17T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T00:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/?p=2609"},"modified":"2025-09-11T23:12:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:12:36","slug":"wakayama-local-foods-mehari-sushi-kishu-ume-narezushi-kue-nabe-sechiyaki-23082","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wakayama-local-foods-mehari-sushi-kishu-ume-narezushi-kue-nabe-sechiyaki-23082\/","title":{"rendered":"Traditional Wakayama Foods You Must Try: Mehari Sushi, Kishu Ume, Nare Sushi, Kue Nabe & Sechi-yaki"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMehari Sushi\u201d You Could Eat in One Big Bite<\/h2>\r\n
\"\u201cMehari<\/div>\r\n

\u201cMehari Sushi\u201d is a large rice ball wrapped in pickled takana leaves. Recently, smaller versions have appeared to make it easier to eat. The fillings vary, including takana stems, bonito flakes, and pickled plums. Harvested takana is pickled around January or February, and it can be stored until around November. It was originally created so that it could be easily eaten while fishing or working in the mountains. The name \u201cMehari Sushi\u201d is said to come from either \u201copening your mouth wide enough to make your eyes bulge\u201d or from \u201cflavors so delicious they make your eyes open wide.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Japan\u2019s Top Producer! \u201cKishu Ume\u201d Plums<\/h2>\r\n
\"Japan\u2019s<\/div>\r\n

Back in the Edo period, plum cultivation began on poor farmland where other crops struggled to grow. With its warm climate and sunlit low mountains, Wakayama proved ideal for plum production, and it soon flourished. Today, Wakayama accounts for 60% of all domestically produced plums in Japan. The fruits are harvested around June and processed into pickled plums, plum wine, jams, and more. Among the various brands, \u201cNanko Ume,\u201d originally from Minabe Town, is considered top-grade for its soft skin, thick flesh, and large fruit.<\/p>\r\n

For Festivals and Celebrations: \u201cNare Sushi\u201d<\/h2>\r\n
\"For<\/div>\r\n

\u201cNare Sushi,\u201d a traditional Japanese dish, is found in regions across the country. Wakayama\u2019s version is especially approachable and is known as one of the \u201cThree Great Nare Sushi of Japan.\u201d In Wakayama, mackerel is split open and salted for over a month, then desalted overnight. Firmly cooked rice is shaped into balls, topped with the mackerel, and pressed together. The sushi is then wrapped in bamboo leaves or ferns and tied with string before being placed in a barrel, weighted, and left to ferment for 5\u20137 days. Once it develops the unique aroma of nare sushi, it is ready. Carefully prepared, this dish is often served as a special feast for regional events and celebrations.<\/p>\r\n

Savor the Rare Fish in \u201cKue Nabe\u201d Hot Pot<\/h2>\r\n
\"Savor<\/div>\r\n

\u201cKue Nabe\u201d is a hot pot dish featuring the \u201cKue,\u201d a grouper species that can grow to over a meter in length. The fish is simmered together with vegetables such as chrysanthemum greens and Chinese cabbage, then enjoyed with ponzu sauce and condiments. Its fatty flesh offers a refined sweetness, and it is said that \u201conce you eat Kue, no other fish will do.\u201d Due to its rarity, it is often called the \u201cphantom fish.\u201d Low in calories but rich in protein and collagen, it is also valued for its beauty benefits. Its season runs from summer through winter, making it a perfect hot pot delicacy during the cold months.<\/p>\r\n

Making It \u201cSechigoute\u201d: \u201cSechi-yaki\u201d<\/h2>\r\n
\"Making<\/div>\r\n

\u201cSechi-yaki\u201d is a dish where fried noodles are bound only with eggs\u2014without using flour\u2014then cooked into an okonomiyaki-like form. Interestingly, the word \u201csechi\u201d comes from the Wakayama dialect \u201csechigau,\u201d which means \u201cto mix up in a messy way.\u201d The noodles are mixed with beaten eggs until combined, then pan-fried on both sides until the eggs are just half-cooked. Topped with sauce, aonori, and mayonnaise, it is ready to enjoy. Since eggs, not flour, hold it together, it has a unique texture that sets it apart from regular okonomiyaki.<\/p>\r\n\n

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<\/div>\n <\/a>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wakayama is often called the \u201cKingdom of Fruit\u201d thanks to its thriving fruit cultivation. In addition, the warm climate brought by the Kuroshio Current supports a flourishing fishing industry. Here in Wakayama, blessed with the gifts of nature, you can find unique local specialties such as Mehari Sushi, Kishu Ume plums, and Nare Sushi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56],"class_list":["post-2609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slug_articles","tag-what"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2609"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609\/revisions\/2612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}