FERMENTED SUSHI HERALDS THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Production of a beloved winter delicacy is ramping up as Japan heads into the year-end season. In factories across the Hokuriku region, workers are racing to fill orders for a fermented sushi dish called “kabura-zushi.”

The cold-season classic is made by sandwiching slices of fish between thick, round slices of turnip.

Workers at a long-established factory in Kanazawa are assembling this year's batches. They slip slices of yellowtail, fermented in salt for about ten months, into turnip that's been cured for around three days.

The pieces are then packed into bowls, slathered with a fermented rice paste, and garnished with shredded carrot for color. The whole package is then left to pickle for about 10 days.

Many boxes will be snapped up as winter gifts, and with the holidays approaching fast, the next few weeks will be busy ones in Kanazawa.