Protected local food
Nagasaki Karasumi
長崎からすみ
Cured, dried mullet roe from Nagasaki, glossy and amber, with a deep, rich flavour. It has been one of Japan's three great delicacies since the Edo period.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 20 July 2023
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 長崎からすみ
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 長崎県
Amber mullet roe
Karasumi is the roe sac of grey mullet, salted and dried. Nagasaki karasumi is a glossy amber colour with no off-flavours, and a deep, rich taste and aroma that come from the roe itself. Since the Edo period it has been prized as one of Japan's three great delicacies, and it is a favourite gift.
Where karasumi began
Nagasaki is where mullet-roe karasumi began. In autumn and winter, shoals of mullet carrying ripe roe arrive along the coast. The method was worked out in the Edo period, and for about 150 years Nagasaki karasumi was sent as a gift to the shogun's family. It is also served in shippoku, Nagasaki's banquet cuisine that mixes Japanese, Chinese and Dutch influences.
Good to know
- Karasumi is eaten in thin slices, often lightly grilled, with sake.
- Look for it at food and souvenir shops in Nagasaki City; it is sold as a premium gift.
Questions travellers ask
What is karasumi?
The salted, dried roe of grey mullet, similar to bottarga.
How do you eat karasumi?
Sliced thin, sometimes lightly grilled, as a snack with sake or grated over pasta.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Hakone Hachiri: walking the Edo stone road over Hakone
- Hizen: the birthplace of Japanese porcelain
- Iki, Tsushima and Goto: Japan's border islands
- Sakura, Narita, Sawara and Choshi: the Edo closest to the airport
- The Murakami Kaizoku: sea lords of the Geiyo Islands
- The Sugar Road: sweets along the Nagasaki Kaido
- Yatsushiro's stonemasons: the bridge builders of Japan
- Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru: Japan's naval port cities
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.