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Sauces and condiments from Japan

Ishiruいしる

Ishiru is the fish sauce of Japan's Noto Peninsula, made from squid livers or from sardines and other fish with salt. Packed in winter and fermented through the summer heat for at least a year, the mash separates into liquid and solids, and the liquid is drawn off. It has been a protected geographical indication since 2024.

Fully documentedSauces and condiments12 months – 2 years

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe basic fish-to-salt ratio from Enomoto et al. 2015. The GI specification fixes the raw materials and the minimum ripening time but not the amounts.
Squid, or sardine and other fish[maff-gi146]
Salt1 part to 4 parts fishThe basic ratio is fish to salt 4:1[enomoto2015]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 months – 2 years

Start
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What changes: Squid livers or sardines are packed with salt in winter

Step 1 of 4
Pack the squid livers or fish with salt
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Packing in the cold of winter keeps the fresh mash from rotting. Output: salted fish mash.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Ishiru is the fish sauce of Japan's Noto Peninsula, made from squid livers or from sardines and other fish with salt. Packed in winter and fermented through the summer heat for at least a year, the mash separates into liquid and solids, and the liquid is drawn off. It has been a protected geographical indication since 2024. Made in 4 steps over 12 months – 2 years. The longest step, ripen under the crust for a year or more, takes 12 months – 2 years (MAFF 2024). Salt is 15–25 % (Nakazato M. et al. 2002). The fish and squid's own digestive enzymes, then lactic acid bacteria does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step12 months – 2 yearsReported[maff-gi146][enomoto2015]Ripen under the crust for a year or more
Salt15–25 %Measured[nakazato2002]Draw off the liquid and remove the solids

What makes this one different

Shottsuru from Akita and ikanago shoyu from Kagawa are the other two classic Japanese fish sauces. Ishiru is the one often made from squid livers, and it ripens for at least a year under its GI rules.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Squid-liver ishiriMade from squid livers and viscera.
  • Fish ishiruMade from sardine and other fish.

Safety

Commercial shottsuru and ishiru measured 15–25 % salt. One survey found high volatile basic nitrogen in some ishiru made from sardine or mackerel, and high biogenic amines in ishiru made from those fish or from squid guts. Histamine reached 380 µg/g in one ishiru, just under the Codex limit of 40 mg per 100 g for fish sauce.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The GI register says ishiru was made by fishing families by at least the mid Edo period, as tradition has it. A 1913 government record of Japanese fishery products describes squid-gut sauce as made in Noto since old times. Small firms made about 30 tonnes a year in the late Showa era; about 20 firms made about 200 tonnes in fiscal 2016. The making technique is a registered intangible folk cultural property, and the name was registered as GI No. 146 on 27 March 2024.

  1. [maff-gi146] MAFF, Register of specified agricultural, forestry and fishery products, No. 146, いしり・いしる (ishiri, ishiru, yoshiru), registered 27 March 2024spec
  2. [enomoto2015] Enomoto T., Koyanagi T., Michihata T., Sasaki T., Tsuji A. 2015, 石川県の伝統発酵食品の成分特性と関与する微生物 (traditional fermented foods of Ishikawa), FFI Journal 220(1):44–51, doi:10.34457/ffij.220.1_044 (abstract)paper
  3. [nakazato2002] Nakazato M. et al. 2002, 魚醤油中の揮発性塩基窒素及び不揮発性アミン類の分析 (volatile basic nitrogen and non-volatile amines in fish sauce), Ann. Rep. Tokyo Metr. Res. Lab. P.H. 53:95–100gov
  4. [codex302] Codex Alimentarius, CXS 302-2011, Standard for fish sauce (amended 2012, 2013)spec