Pike conger eel, the summer fish of Kyoto. Bone-cut into chrysanthemum petals, quick-poached and served with plum vinegar at the city's kaiseki rooms.
Hamo arrives in Kyoto from June to August across the Awaji Strait. The fish has hundreds of tiny bones, so Kyoto chefs developed honegiri, a slicing technique that cuts each fillet at millimetre intervals without severing the skin. The bones soften when quick-poached; the flesh flowers open like a chrysanthemum. The dish became the summer marker of Gion Matsuri, served at every ryotei in July alongside ume-su plum vinegar. Hyotei and Kikunoi serve the canonical version.
