Hamo Pike Conger Eel Kyoto Summer Delicacy
Kyoto — hamo associated with summer Gion Matsuri festival since Heian period
Hamo (鱧, pike conger eel) is Kyoto's most prestigious summer fish — despite being a coastal fish from the Seto Inland Sea, hamo has historically been transported live to landlocked Kyoto during the hot summer months (it survives transport better than other fish). The defining preparation is hone-kiri (骨切り, bone cutting) — the conger eel has hundreds of tiny intramuscular bones that cannot be removed; instead, a special technique uses rapid, extremely close knife cuts (2mm intervals) through the flesh, cutting all the bones without severing the skin. After hone-kiri, the fillet is briefly blanched and curls into a beautiful peony shape (botan hamo) served with ume paste.