Kusaya (くさや) is a Japanese style salted-dried fish and make no mistake about it, this stuff stinks.
If you can get past the stink like i did on a recent trip to Mishima and you like to nibble on something while drinking a few beers or something a little stronger then give Kasaya a go … it really is an acquired taste, you’ll either love it or hate it.
Don’t try eating this when you’re hungover (二日酔い) and too lazy to go to the shops and buy some food like i did the other week …. got as far as opening the jar before i had to quickly back away from it.
There’s some more guff on the ins and outs of Kusaya here at wikipedia.
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Somehow, you haven’t managed to convince me to try this stuff.
The taste is much less offensive than the smell.
I’ll put anything in my mouth and have had some disgusting and incredible experiences. However, when it comes to eating (haha), the most rancid taste have encountered came from an Icelandic delicacy I had a go at when we were in Reykjavic last year for a 4 day bender.
Hakarl is fermented shark, that’s basically buried in the ground for 6 months and then eaten. We picked some up in a supermarket and had a piece the size of a sugar cube. I’ve never gasped so hard in my life – the initial taste hit my buds like when you used to stick 9 volt batteries on them. I had a couple of chews but couldn’t keep it down. Stinky ammonia like rubbish. No wonder Bjork is such an angry, messed up tart!
Now THAT sounds like something that would taste like shit!
LOL, saw hakarl mentioned on a documentary one time. The translation they provided was “rotten shark.” It looked ghastly.
I can’t recall what the nastiest thing I’ve eaten is. Uni, maybe. But it’s been so long that I’d have to eat it again to make sure. And as I’ve mentioned elsewhere here, I really like natto.
I’m 50/50 on natto …. can eat it and can live without it too.
I once tried..”Balut”(?)Filipinos bury a fertilized egg in the dirt for a while then eat the partly developed/decomposed chick inside. I tried it and puked instantly. Only time in my life I had an instant regurgitation event.
I think I’ll stay away from the “Stink” fish as well
I know the one, it’s often part of the food challenge on survivor and amazing race also, KNOW WAY could i even try that!
I think I’ll buy this when i miss the NYC subway system… i might even carry it while a Tokyo train…just so i can feel nostalgic…
The Chinese have lot of foods like this. For instance ‘Stinky Tofu’. The name straight up tells you it’s not going to be a good first impression, but again, if you get past that then it’s not so bad.
Neil, you’re a braver man than I. My father-in-law makes kusaya, and is relegated to the yard whenever he does…
Yup. Nibble on it. It can have a really strong taste. I dont love it but sometimes I do want it.
Had a little last night ….. only a little, pretty potent stuff to eat too much in one sitting.
The name sounds like the way you’d hear an osakan comedian say “it stinks”
When the world becomes a post-apocalyptic wasteland, I’ll gladly eat all of the shyte mentioned here, but I’ll always be thinking, “Remember back in the days before the apocalypse when we didn’t have to eat this shyte?”
Call it an acquired taste, call it good for you… call it what you want; it’s shyte. I worked in public schools here and saw a lot of kids bitch and moan about having to eat natto or umeboshi with their school lunches. The adults have just become utterly mindfucked.
Let it all out billywest ! I can imagine with the ever growing popularity of western foods (western chain restaurants) in Japan the youth of today would much prefer something with a higher sugar content than natto etc… that their parents gladly ate.