There is an old road in Japan that runs from Wakasa Bay to the city of Kyoto known as the Saba Kaido, or Mackerel Road. For centuries, the road was used to carry fresh mackerel roughly 50 miles south from the sea to the former imperial capital during the time of the Tokugawa shoguns. Because there was no refrigeration, the prized fish were salted to preserve them for the journey. It's been said that if one transported the fish in a single trip, without sleeping, the brilliant blue fish arrived in Kyoto fresh and perfectly seasoned.
The art of curing is an ancient technique, born of necessity and found the world over. The process is simple: Combine salt, sugar and/or smoke to gently draw moisture from a food to preserve it over an extended period. Curing was especially instrumental in preserving more delicate foods, like fish.
Almost lost with the dawn of modern preservation methods such as refrigeration and canning, curing is making a comeback — and in a big way. Restaurants and chefs everywhere are touting cured meats, house-smoked specialties and homemade sausages. And, increasingly, cured fish.
"We're taking preserving techniques and starting to love the flavor," says Marcus Samuelsson, founding chef of New York's Aquavit restaurant. He notes that the increasing popularity of regional cuisines, such as Swedish, are opening eyes to the possibilities with cured fish. Also, with the increasing popularity of sushi, people are starting to welcome different textures with their fish outside of cooking. "We're getting used to it."
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