In the local cuisines of Northeast and Southeast Asia the
fermented products of aquatic organisms constitute common
side dishes and condiments. Throughout this region the preservation
of seasonally available aquatic products was based in
considerable measure on the application of fermentation techniques,
as in the making of gyosho and narezusi.
In making gyosho products salt is mixed with cleaned fresh
fish, shellfish, or other aquatic organisms, and fermented for
various lengths of time to enable the enzymes present to autodigest
the meat and create products that range from sauces to
semi-solids, and in which amino acids predominate. Narezusi is
a solid product of aquatic organisms lactic-fermented with
boiled or steamed rice or other grains.
The research on fermented aquatic products was conducted
jointly with Dr. Kenneth Ruddle. This is the first in a series of
papers resulting from this research project, some of which will be
co-authored and others written individually.
This paper is a monographic study of gyosho in China, Korea
and Japan. It discusses the processing methods, consumption
patterns, cuisine and the dietary importance of various types of
gyosho, together with their history, based on a study of the literature
and historical documents. Since this paper forms part of an
introduction to the subject of fermented aquatic products,
ecological discussions, descriptions of the technologies used,
geographical relationships and hypotheses about and conclusions
on the topic are deferred to later papers.