''Tatami iwashi'' () is a Japanese processed food made from baby
sardine
"Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the It ...
s or ''shirasu'' () laid out and dried while entwined in a single layer to form a large mat-like sheet. Typically, this is done by drying them in the sun on a bamboo frame, a process that is evocative of the manufacture of traditional
Japanese paper.
Tatami Iwashi can then be cut to various sizes and used in different ways. Common serving styles include use as an ingredient in soup or cut into small pieces for use as a snack or accompaniment to sake or beer drinking, known as ''
sakana
In Japan, it is customary to serve alcoholic drinks with snacks called , , or . These are usually quite salty and served in relatively small portions. Sakana are usually more substantial than tapas, although they are not considered a meal sinc ...
''.
This food item is named for its resemblance to a straw
tatami mat common in traditional
Japanese-style rooms or houses.
See also
*
List of dried foods
This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
External links
The process of making tatami iwashi (with Japanese text) can be seen here on the website of Japanese manufacturer Hamato (archived at the Internet Archive)
Dried fish
Fish products
Japanese seafood
{{Japan-cuisine-stub