【特集】「アジフライの聖地宣言」から５年 ”松浦アジフライ”のいま

Tourism Increase! Hometown Tax Donations Increase 30-fold! Five Years After Declaring Matsuura a Sacred Land, We Cover the Current State of "Frying Horse Mackerel" in Matsuura Matsuura City's "Frying Horse Mackerel Sacred Land" has been established as a pillar of regional revitalization just five years after the declaration in 2019. Boasting the highest horse mackerel catch in Japan, this region catches approximately 15,000 tons annually, and horse mackerel fries made with these fresh fish have attracted attention nationwide. The driving force behind this initiative is Mayor Yoshiyasu Tomoda, who took office in 2018. In his manifesto for the mayoral election, he proposed promoting horse mackerel fries, leveraging Matsuura's treasured fish. In particular, he aimed to make horse mackerel fries a symbol of Matsuura City, so that local children would not say, "There's nothing in Matsuura." Matsuura City's roadside station, "Matsuura Umi no Furusatokan," attracts many tourists on weekends and holidays, and freshly fried horse mackerel fries sell like hotcakes. A tourist from Yokohama commented, "A friend from Hirado told me, 'Matsuura is a horse mackerel mecca,' so I came here," demonstrating the popularity of local fried horse mackerel. In addition to roadside stations, an increasing number of restaurants in the city are offering fried horse mackerel, with 36 currently participating. Miraku Kiraku in Imabukucho, Matsuura City, is one of the participating restaurants in the Horse Mackerel Fried Map, offering set meals made with horse mackerel caught by the manager himself every morning. The restaurant's fried horse mackerel, topped with a special chive sauce, has a crispy yet fluffy texture and is a favorite with many customers. Matsuura City also offers Italian dishes featuring fried horse mackerel for inbound tourists. Pasta and pizza topped with fried horse mackerel at PASTA and PEZZA GIFT in Sasacho are gaining popularity as a new menu item that allows customers to enjoy local flavors. Sanyo, a fishery company located in Chokawa-cho, Matsuura City, is also focusing on the production of fried horse mackerel, expanding its sales both domestically and internationally. This factory produces approximately 200,000 fried horse mackerel pieces per day, paying meticulous attention to maintaining quality while contributing to raising awareness of Matsuura's fried horse mackerel. Matsuura City recycles waste oil used in cooking fried horse mackerel as biodiesel fuel for official city vehicles. This initiative is part of Matsuura City's goal of achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Looking ahead to Matsuura City's future, Mayor Tomoda said, "The key to making this a sacred place is to aim for regional development while paying close attention to trends in horse mackerel catches." Matsuura City's urban development, centered around fried horse mackerel, will continue to evolve through sustainable initiatives.