Sanma no Maruboshi (Whole dried Pacific saury)
Savor the flavors of a Kumano winter with every bite—whole-dried saury with concentrated umami.

About Sanma no Maruboshi (Whole dried Pacific saury)

Sanma no Maruboshi, a specialty of Higashi-Kishu in Mie Prefecture, is also known as *su-boshi* (simply dried saury). Dried in the cold winter winds of the Kumano-nada Sea, it is prized for its deep, concentrated flavor. This local dish reflects Kumano’s traditional food-preservation culture and has been passed down alongside saury fishing, which dates back around 300 years to the Edo period.

“Modori sanma,” or returning saury caught in the Kumano-nada Sea, has shed some of its fat during its long migration, making it well suited to drying. Freshly landed in the morning, the fish is salted to taste and dried in the sun whole, with its head and innards intact, bringing out its natural flavor. As excess fat drips away, grilling gives it a fragrant aroma. It is enjoyed at winter tables as a snack with drinks or alongside rice.

A variety of processed foods and dishes have also developed in the Kumano region using saury, including sanma-zushi and fermented sanma sushi. Sanma no Maruboshi is especially rooted in local life as a familiar sight along the Kumano-nada coast in winter. At the Kumano Kinomoto Sanma Festival, held every January, locals and visitors can enjoy this traditional flavor, helping keep saury culture alive and evolving.

Simple yet rich in flavor, Sanma no Maruboshi brings the landscape and history of Kumano to the table.

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