Dietary Customs Concerning Red Seabream (Pagrus major) from the Edo Period to the Present

Abstract

I focused on the dietary customs of red seabream (Pagrus major) in the Okayama Prefecture of Japan from the Edo period to the present. There are many kinds of sea bream, but red seabream with a long body were given as offerings to the gods.

Red seabream were also used as offering dishes and trade items in the Middle period. In the Edo period, red seabream were used in feasts and everyday meals for people of high-status or were offered when serving guests of high positions.

This dietary habit was used in various events such as New Year, Rice Planting, wedding days, and so on until the middle of the Showa period. These dietary customs at New Year and the special traditional dishes (e.g., Ohitiya, Hyakuniti, and Tyojyu) have been transformed and experienced by their own family from generation to generation.