Unagi 鰻

Eel has a somewhat different feel to it, and that subtle nuance is hard to convey to visitors from abroad. It is a popular topping, yet it has earned such hero status — enough to stand as a complete dish on its own — that people don't necessarily expect to eat it at a sushi restaurant. If anything, there's a sense that you'd rather have eel as unajū, a dedicated eel dish, at a specialist eel restaurant.

That said, to put it simply: it closely resembles anago (conger eel), but it is a fully upgraded ingredient and exceptionally delicious. Anago spends its whole life in the sea, whereas eel lives most of its life in fresh water such as rivers and lakes, heading out to sea only to spawn. Eel is clearly richer in oils and nutrients, and within Japanese cuisine it has firmly established itself as a true leading-role ingredient.

By all means, visit a specialist eel restaurant too and enjoy dishes such as unajū and hitsumabushi.

Origin: Kagoshima, Miyagi, Aichi Season: Wild eel in winter