Chocolate-fed sushi fish set to become a Valentine’s Day treat in Japan

One of the country’s most popular revolving sushi chains has a sweet idea.

Wagyu beef fans often speak in reverent tones of the legendary practice of giving cattle beer to drink, but revolving sushi chain Kura Sushi (also known as Kurazushi) thinks fish could do with a tasty treat of their own. So starting next month, the restaurant will be adding a new type of sushi to its menu.

The fish itself, buri (mature yellowtail), is a common fixture in sushi restaurants, and is especially popular in winter. What makes Kura Sushi’s new buri special, though, is that the fish eat chocolate before customers eat them.

The Choco Buri come from Ehime Prefecture, on the western side of the island of Shikoku. The farm-raised fish are given a unique feed that contains chocolate, which was developed in conjunction with the Ehime Research Institute of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

This isn’t the first time for Shikoku to feed fish food that people enjoy too, as the island has also produced citrus-fruit fed and olive-fed seafood. However, the Choco Buri doesn’t necessarily have the sweet flavor of a piece of chocolate. Instead, the chocolate polyphenols’ antioxidant properties are said to improve the fish’s color, making it more enticing to the eye when sliced.

The Choco Buri is priced at 100 yen (US$0.90) per piece, and is being offered between February 1 and 14, to coincide with the Valentine’s Day season, so make sure to save room and not fill up on Valentine’s underwear bread or self-pleasuring chocolates.

Sources: IT Media, @Press
Images: @Press

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