noun
salted fish; fish preserved in salt
Refers to fresh or dried fish that has been salted for preservation. A traditional food preservation method.
昔は冷蔵庫がなかったので、魚は相物にして保存した。
In the old days, since there were no refrigerators, fish was preserved as salted fish.
The term 相物 (あいもの) likely derives from 合い (あい, 'together, matching') + 物 (もの, 'thing'), referring to fish that is 'matched' or treated with salt. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.