Surprising tidbits you might not know! Learn mackerel trivia through a quiz!

Jōmon period

At the Sannai-Maruyama site, mackerel bones have been unearthed, indicating that mackerel was eaten as far back as the Jomon period. Bones of other fish—such as sea bream, yellowtail, and pufferfish—have also been found, clearly showing that these fish were consumed as well.

drunk mackerel

The branded mackerel from Obama City in Fukui Prefecture is called “Yopparai Saba” (Drunken Mackerel). It was given this unique name because it is raised on feed mixed with sake lees from Japanese sake.

Not eat mackerel for three years.

At the main temple of Saba Daishi in Tokushima Prefecture, there is a custom called the Three-Year Saba Abstinence Prayer, which holds that wishes will be fulfilled by refraining from eating mackerel for three years. It is said to bring blessings such as good fortune, conception and safe childbirth, and recovery from illness.

From Fukui to Kyoto

The Saba Kaido, or Mackerel Road, is a route of about 70 km connecting Obama City in Fukui Prefecture to Kyoto City. It was mainly used to transport marine products such as mackerel to Kyoto. The term “Saba Kaido” doesn’t refer to a single path; multiple routes were used, including those that passed through the mountains of Kyoto and others that ran along the shores of Lake Biwa.

high school student

The canned mackerel that received JAXA certification as space food was conceived and developed by students in the Marine Science Department at Fukui Prefectural Wakasa High School. In addition to the school’s long-standing practice of producing canned mackerel during training, obtaining HACCP— the global standard for hygiene management—served as the catalyst. HACCP was originally established as a hygiene standard to ensure food safety for items such as space food, and upon learning this, one student came up with a project to send their canned products into space.

histidine

Mackerel contains especially large amounts of histidine among fish, and if it is not stored properly, histamine is produced. Consuming histamine can cause histamine poisoning, which resembles an allergic reaction, leading to symptoms such as hives.

Sabao-ri (a sumo back-crushing throw); literally “mackerel bend,” commonly rendered as ‘bear hug backbreaker’ in sumo/wrestling contexts

Saba-ori refers to a technique in which you pull in your opponent’s mawashi and bear down with your weight from above to force their knees to touch the ground. The name comes from the way the wrestler subjected to the technique ends up looking like a mackerel whose neck has been bent for bloodletting.