Updated:2023/04/29
Ruibe invented by the Ainu people
I went to Hokkaido to research food ingredients. Today, I would like to introduce salmon ruibe.
Ruibe was invented by the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido as a winter food when food is scarce. It is said that salmon caught in autumn was buried in the snow and preserved, and in winter, it was dug up from under the snow and eaten. Thinly slicing frozen salmon is exactly how Ruibe is eaten today. By the way, the word ruibe was derived from the Ainu language ‘ru’ meaning ‘melting’ and ‘ibe’ meaning ‘food’.
Ruibe is a smart ingredient that combines nutrition and safety
In winter, it is buried by snow, and food, especially animal food, is scarce. It’s a great idea to preserve protein-rich salmon in a natural freezer so that you can eat it even in winter. And by freezing, it was possible to kill parasites such as Anisakis, which are worrisome when eating raw salmon.
Unforgettable unique taste
Speaking of salmon, Hokkaido comes to mind, but in fact, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 90% of salmon are caught in Hokkaido. And Ruibe is a local dish made with such delicious salmon. The taste of crispy salmon that melts in your mouth is exceptional when you eat it in Hokkaido.
Recently, it seems that there is a wide variety of ways to eat it, such as adding salt or lemon to it, or roasting it, in addition to simply dipping it in soy sauce. There are also products such as salmon oyakozuke, which is paired ruibe with salmon roe pickled in soy sauce, so I definitely want to try it.
