In Tanabe that is a treasure trove of food thanks to the ocean and the mountains, you can get a variety of local types of sushi that are eaten as preserved food in the mountainous area where transportation is poor or as dishes that utilize ingredients in seaside areas.

Pacific saury sushi

Pacific saury sushi is the primary food culture in Kishu. In Tanabe, it must be a part of meals during the autumn festival and New Year’s.
Pacific saury that migrate south off the coast of the Kii Peninsula from late autumn to early winter lose just the right amount of fat, and this led to the Pacific saury sushi food culture.
Before the transportation network developed to its current state, people in mountain villages would buy Pacific saury brought by traveling merchants and eat it as Pacific saury sushi, and this food culture is still alive today.

Mackerel bozushi

Minabe and Tanabe are good places for catching mackerel in the prefecture. The main types caught are chub mackerel and spotted mackerel.
They are eaten different ways like grilled, simmered, or as sushi, and mackerel bozushi (pressed sushi stick) uses a large cut of fatty chub mackerel caught in the nearby waters. The combination of the thick mackerel, simmered kelp, and sushi rice is excellent, and the umami of the fatty chub mackerel and the thick, slowly simmered kelp creates an exquisite flavor.

Meharizushi

This sushi is made by wrapping rice with salted takana (leaf mustard) leaves. It is called meharizushi because you have to open your mouth with astonishment (me o miharu) when eating it.
It has been a well-known local flavor in Tanabe since long ago.

Council members that sell sushi

Council members that sell noodles