is a type of cured , a processed seafood product common in

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan ( Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and oth ...

. is made by forming various pureed deboned white fish with either natural or man-made additives and flavorings into distinctive loaves, which are then steamed until fully cooked and firm. These are sliced and either served unheated (or chilled) with various dipping sauces, or added to various hot soups, rice, or noodle dishes. is often sold in semicylindrical loaves, some featuring artistic patterns, such as the pink spiral on each slice of , named after the well-known tidal whirlpool near the Japanese city of Naruto. There is no precise English translation for . Rough equivalents are '' fish paste'', '' fish loaf'', '' fish cake'', and '' fish sausage''. , chef and author, recommends using the Japanese name in English, similar to English usage of the word '' sushi''. The

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

dish gefilte fish has some similarity.Mouritsen, Ole (2017). ''Mouthfeel: How Texture Makes Taste''. Columbia University Press, New York. has been made in Japan since the 14th century and is now available nearly worldwide. The simulated crab meat product (short for ) is the best-known form of in the West. Red-skinned and white are typically served at celebratory and holiday meals, as red and white are considered to bring good luck. In Japan, the prepackaged snack (cheese plus ) is commonly sold in convenience stores. In the city of Uwajima, a type of fried called is popular. In

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the no ...

, is a regional variation, pale white in colour, formed in the shape of bamboo leaves and often lightly grilled immediately prior to serving.

Composition

Choice of fish

Early was made with minced

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

( Silurus asotus). The white fish used to make include: * Chicken grunt ('' Parapristipoma trilineatum'') * Golden threadfin bream ('' Nemipterus virgatus'') * Lizardfish (''

Synodontidae The Synodontidae or lizardfishes(or typical lizardfish to distinguish them from the Bathysauridae and Pseudotrichonotidae) are benthic (bottom-dwelling) marine and estuarine bony fishes that belong to the aulopiform fish order, a diverse grou ...

'') * Japanese gissu ('' Pterothrissus gissu'') * Various

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

species ('' Selachimorpha'') * Alaska pollock (''

Theragra chalcogramma The Alaska pollock or walleye pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus'') is a marine fish species of the cod genus '' Gadus'' and family Gadidae. It is a semi- pelagic schooling fish widely distributed in the North Pacific, with largest concentrations ...

'') * White croaker ('' Pennahia argentata'') * Nibe croaker (''

Nibea mitsukurii ''Nibea'' is a genus of fish in the family Sciaenidae family. It contains ten accepted species: * '' Nibea albiflora'' (Richardson, 1846) * '' Nibea chui'' Trewavas, 1971 * '' Nibea coibor'' (Hamilton, 1822) * ''Nibea leptolepis'' (Ogilby, ...

'') * Daggertooth pike conger (''

Muraenesox cinereus The daggertooth pike conger (''Muraenesox cinereus'') also known as the darkfin pike eel in Ozzyland, to distinguish it from the related pike-eel (''Muraenesox bagio''), is a species of eel in the pike conger family, Muraenesocidae. They prim ...

'') * Gnomefish (''

Scombrops boops ''Scombrops boops'', the gnomefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a gnomefish from the family Scombropidae. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific and marginally in the south eastern Atlantic. It occurs off South Africa and Mozambique ...

'') * Black bass ** Smallmouth bass ('' Micropterus dolomieu'') ** Largemouth bass (''

Micropterus salmoides The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

'') ** Florida black bass (''

Micropterus floridanus The Florida bass (''Micropterus floridanus'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a black bass belonging to the sunfish family Centrarchidae of order Perciformes. It is found in the southeastern United States. Taxonomy The Florida bass ...

'')

Day

The organization of Japan specified November 15 for Day, established in 1983.

Outside Japan

Hawaii

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, pink or red-skinned is readily available in grocery stores. It is a staple of '' saimin'', a popular noodle soup created in Hawaii from the blending of Chinese and Japanese ingredients. is sometimes referred to as ''fish cake'' in English. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, surplus Quonset huts became popular as housing in Hawaii. They became known as ' houses' due to the Quonset hut's half-cylindrical shape, similar to .

References

External links

Suzuhiro Kamaboko - How to make ''Kamaboko''
{{Authority control Japanese cuisine Surimi Japanese cuisine terms Food paste