Fukuoka Local Cuisine: Nukamiso Daki

Alright, let’s head over to Fukuoka and get ready for a truly unique dish: “Nukamiso Daki.” This is a braised dish where fish like sardines or mackerel are cooked in a nukamiso (fermented rice bran) base. Sounds interesting, right? It’s a testament to how resourceful folks can be!

Dish Name: Nukamiso Daki / ぬかみそ炊き

• Region / Location: Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
• Primary Area of Tradition: Kitakyushu City.
• Main Ingredients: イワシ (Iwashi/sardines), サバ (Saba/mackerel), ぬか味噌 (Nukamiso/fermented rice bran).

How It’s Eaten / Served

“Nukamiso Daki” is enjoyed year-round as a side dish with rice or as a snack with drinks. It’s also a special dish served during New Year’s celebrations and at other important events like weddings and funerals.

Cultural Background and Preservation

The story of “Nukamiso Daki” starts with “nukazuke” (pickled vegetables in rice bran), which was a preserved food in the Kokura domain. These pickles were passed down through generations in old Kokura families. It was tradition for families to pass down their “nukadoko” (fermented rice bran bed) to their daughters when they got married, with some families boasting of “nukadoko” that was over a hundred years old!

Taking care of the “nukadoko” was an important daily chore. It had to be mixed from the bottom up, at least once a day in winter and even more often in summer.

The well-fermented vegetables pickled in this “nukadoko” were delicious, and it was discovered that using this aged “nukadoko” when cooking oily fish like sardines or mackerel helped to eliminate the fishy smell.

The dish also has a nickname, “Osasaji Ni,” which is said to be the name used for the “nukamiso” among the ladies in the Kokura Castle. Because it’s nutritious and keeps well, it was used as a preserved food during wartime. The lord of the Kokura domain, the Ogasawara clan, even gave it the name “Jindate Ni” (陣立煮), meaning “battle formation stew.”

From the mid-Edo period, sugar and sake were added to the recipe, leading to the “Nukamiso Daki” we enjoy today. It’s generally known as “Nukamiso Daki” or “Nukamiso Ni” (ぬかみそ煮).

You can find “Nukamiso Daki” sold in markets in the Kokura Kita ward of Kitakyushu City. Many local restaurants, diners, and cafes in the Kokura area also feature their own homemade “Nukamiso Daki” as a signature dish.

Additional information:

• Nukazuke (ぬか漬け): Pickled vegetables in fermented rice bran.
• Nukadoko (ぬか床): Fermented rice bran bed used for pickling.