The launch of on May 24 officially confirms that salty mold is now the flavor du jour in Japanese kitchens. 鬼身轍勳, or to give it its long-winded name, , ?is a domesticized fungus that has been used in the production of miso, sake?and soy sauce for centuries. Salt k身ji, made by mixing salt and k身ji with water, then leaving it to ferment, is also a traditional seasoning, but one that had rather fallen out of use until it enjoyed a revival in the latter half of 2011.

According to , the craze for salt k身ji started off when Komego, a miso store in Fukui Prefecture, started selling it for use as a simple seasoning back in January 2011. Word spread with restaurants around the area using the ingredient, causing it to eventually catch on with the mass media.

It was traditionally used as a seasoning for vegetable and fish dishes, but now cooks are enthusiastically using the ingredient more creatively with meat as well as in soups and sauces. Marinating meat or fish in salt k身ji converts the starches and proteins into sugars and amino acids increasing the umami, or savory flavors, of the meat. Though salt k身ji can be bought, it＊s quite simple to make at home, and plenty of cooking websites have featured (see video)?on how to whip up a homemade batch.

Fukui Prefecture, which has been a driving force behind the boom, has now introduced a k身ji mascot to highlight the benefits of this versatile ingredient. 鬼身轍勳-kun is drawn in the image of a grain of rice with some weird stuff growing out of its head, to illustrate the fact that k身ji starts out life growing on grains of rice. 鬼身轍勳 is also depicted in in the manga and subsequent anime of ※§ a story about an agricultural student who can see and communicate with bacteria.

If you＊d like to try out this taste sensation for yourself at Mos Burger, then you＊ll have to hurry as there will only be 1 million Salt 鬼身轍勳 Burgers available. Rather than being used as a marinade for the meat, the salt k身ji is mixed into a special mayo sauce for a salad topping of crispy ?and edamame.