`I don’t think you should open it yet. This dish is like blue cheese, some people will like the taste but it’s actually very smelly,` head chef Kazuyuki Ohashi at the Lake Biwa Marriott Hotel warned diners.

Ohashi is talking about a type of sushi that not everyone knows.

During a trip to Shiga Prefecture, where narezushi is still very popular, a CNN Travel reporter learned more about this `ancient` dish.

Origin of sushi

Narezushi is salted fish with rice – a popular way to preserve food in Southeast Asia since the 2nd century. This method was introduced to Japan in the 8th century, but documents recording narezushi must be

Sushi can be preserved for up to 100 years in Japan

How to prepare and enjoy narezushi.

Chef Ohashi said: `There is no exact information about when narezushi appeared in Japan, but many people believe that it is a family-style method of preserving fish. Families often have their own recipes, passed down

Around Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan and located north of Kyoto, although narezushi has been around for thousands of years, it is still an important dish providing protein.

In the days before refrigerators, families used rice and salt to ferment and preserve fish.

To make narezushi, you can use Japanese amberjack, mackerel or fragrant fish, but the most popular fish in the Lake Biwa area is crucian carp and is called funazushi.

First, the fish is scaled, the intestines removed and marinated with salt for several months.

The taste of `ancient` sushi and how to enjoy it

At first narezushi looked nothing like modern sushi.

Sometimes chefs prepare narezushi as a porridge with hot tea, or fry it as a type of tempura.

After the chef removes the fish from the previous layer of rice and salt, he slices it thinly and evenly.

`People who like funazushi, they really love it. The first time I ate it was when I was in high school, about 16 or 17 years old. I thought it was terrible. But my father, who is also a chef, was very

Although he didn’t like it at first, Ohashi gradually became fascinated with this type of sushi over time.

`Technology is something to be proud of, we are proud to have created this type of sushi more than 1,000 years ago. When you eat funazushi, you will somehow feel its historical value. If preserved

`Ancient` sushi in modern times

Initially, the rice marinated with the fish would be thrown away and Japanese people would only eat the fish.

If you are in Japan, narezushi is easy to find and buy, sometimes even for sale on websites.

Kimura in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture is a reputable address that has been selling this dish for more than 50 years.