Forget Sushi, this is the real Japanese way to enjoy raw fish!

The interesting thing about Shirouo no Odorigui is that when eaten, the transparent fish will dance or wiggle in the mouth, making diners excited and surprised.

Shirouo is also known as Odorigui, which in Japanese means "dancing while being eaten". Its full name is Shirouo no Odorigui, and is a dish in Japanese cuisine made from raw fish or seafood.

Shirouo is used to describe a small fish with an almost completely transparent body. Photo: Animus

According to legend, during the Edo period more than 300 years ago, spring floods often caused great damage to crops in Fukuoka as well as the southern region of Japan. Therefore, the landlord (daimyo) here hired farmers from neighboring villages to clean up after the disaster. To thank them, the daimyo gave these farmers a few barrels of sake to drink right on the riverbank. While drinking, they used their hands to grab small fish from the water and put them in their mouths. From there, the tradition of eating Shirouo began in Fukuoka and gradually became popular in many regions of Japan. Shirouo is used to describe a small fish with an almost completely transparent body.

However, in different regions, Japanese people use different types of fish for this dish. If in Iwakuni (Yamaguchi prefecture), the type of Shirouo eaten is small white fish, in Fukuoka, people use rock goby as the main ingredient.

Interestingly, anyone who enjoys this dish has the same question: to swallow or not to swallow. Many people often chew small fish, but the real way to enjoy Shirouo no Odorigui is to swallow it raw and drink it with sochu. At that time, the feeling of the fish "swimming" in the stomach will make anyone who has the opportunity to enjoy it surprised and delighted.

To properly enjoy Shirouo no Odorigui, you must eat it with a sauce made from vinegar and raw quail eggs, and drink it with sochu. Photo: Ringring

Because of the characteristic of eating raw, the way to enjoy Shirouo no Odorigui is also somewhat special. People put Shirouo fish in a large bowl containing a little water, then prepare a raw quail egg and a little vinegar. When eating, diners crack the egg and mix it with a little vinegar and then put the fish in. People believe that vinegar makes the fish paralyzed and faint temporarily, but in reality, the fish that come into contact with vinegar will feel pain and continuously "dance" more vigorously than usual. Meanwhile, diners use chopsticks to pick up the fish and put them in their mouths and let them struggle in their mouths.

Watch the video of foreign diners experiencing Shirouo no Odorigui:

Shirouo fish are only available in spring, so when Japanese people enjoy this dish, it also signals the end of the cold winter. In Japan, there are many restaurants serving Shirouo no Odorigui that are only open during the Shirouo season. These restaurants seem to only exist during the spring and will be dismantled at the end of the Shirouo season each year.

According to VNE