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Katsuobushi
 
 
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is the Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
 name for a preparation of dried, fermented
Fermentation (food)

Fermentation in food processing typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids....
, and smoked skipjack tuna
Skipjack tuna

The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish....
 (Katsuwonus pelamis, sometimes referred to as bonito
Bonito

Bonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish of the genus Sarda, in the mackerel family, including the common or Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito....
). Katsuobushi and kombu
Kombu

Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , are edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
 (a type of kelp
Kelp

Kelp are large seaweed plants , belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genus. Some species can be very long and form kelp forests....
) are the main ingredients of dashi
Dashi

Dashi is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Shizuo Tsuji wrote in 1980 that "many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la japonaise and lack the authentic flavor." Dashi forms the base for miso soups, clear broth soups, Japanese noodle broths, and ma...
, a broth that forms the basis of many soups (such as miso soup
Miso soup

is a traditional Japanese cuisine soup consisting of a Stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Although the suspension of miso paste into dashi is the only characteristic that actually defines miso soup, many other ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference....
) and sauces (e.g., soba
Soba

File:Preparing Soba 06 cutting.jpg is a type of thin Japanese cuisine noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup....
 no tsukejiru) in Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of Shogun rule....
. It is today typically found in bags of small pink-brown shavings. Larger, thicker shavings, called kezurikatsuo (???; ??????), are used to make the ubiquitous dashi stock.






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is the Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
 name for a preparation of dried, fermented
Fermentation (food)

Fermentation in food processing typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids....
, and smoked skipjack tuna
Skipjack tuna

The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish....
 (Katsuwonus pelamis, sometimes referred to as bonito
Bonito

Bonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish of the genus Sarda, in the mackerel family, including the common or Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito....
). Katsuobushi and kombu
Kombu

Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , are edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
 (a type of kelp
Kelp

Kelp are large seaweed plants , belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genus. Some species can be very long and form kelp forests....
) are the main ingredients of dashi
Dashi

Dashi is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Shizuo Tsuji wrote in 1980 that "many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la japonaise and lack the authentic flavor." Dashi forms the base for miso soups, clear broth soups, Japanese noodle broths, and ma...
, a broth that forms the basis of many soups (such as miso soup
Miso soup

is a traditional Japanese cuisine soup consisting of a Stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Although the suspension of miso paste into dashi is the only characteristic that actually defines miso soup, many other ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference....
) and sauces (e.g., soba
Soba

File:Preparing Soba 06 cutting.jpg is a type of thin Japanese cuisine noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup....
 no tsukejiru) in Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of Shogun rule....
. It is today typically found in bags of small pink-brown shavings. Larger, thicker shavings, called kezurikatsuo (???; ??????), are used to make the ubiquitous dashi stock. Smaller, thinner shavings, called hanakatsuo (??; ?????), are used as a flavoring and topping for many Japanese dishes, such as okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki

is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" ....
. Traditionally, large chunks of katsuobushi were kept at hand and shaved when needed with an instrument called a katsuobushi kezuriki, similar to a wood plane
Plane (tool)

A plane is a tool for shaping wood. Planes are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and impart a smooth surface to a rough piece of lumber....
, but in the desire for convenience this form of preparation has nearly disappeared. Katsuobushi, however, retains its status as one of the primary ingredients in Japanese cooking today.

Katsuobushi's umami
Umami

is one of the five Taste#Basic taste sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human tongue. Umami is a loanword from Japanese language meaning roughly "delicious flavor", although "brothy", "meaty", or "savory" have been proposed as alternate translations....
 flavor comes from its high inosinic acid
Inosinic acid

Inosinic acid or inosine monophosphate is a nucleotide, specifically a nucleoside monophosphate. Inosinic acid is important in metabolism....
 content. Traditionally made katsuobushi, known as karebushi, is deliberately planted with fungus (Aspergillus
Aspergillus

Aspergillus is a genus of around 200 molds found throughout much of nature worldwide. Aspergillus was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli....
 glaucus) in order to reduce moisture.

When hanakatsuo is added as a topping to a hot dish, the steam has the effect of making the flakes move as if dancing; because of this, katsuobushi topping is also known as dancing fish flakes.

Uses

Other than the main ingredient of dashi stock, other popular uses of katsuobushi include:
  • Okaka, finely chopped katsuobushi dressed with soy sauce.
    • As a stuffing for rice balls (onigiri
      Onigiri

      , also known as or rice ball, is a food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shape and often wrapped in nori . Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume , salted salmon, katsuobushi, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a preservative....
      ).
    • As a topping for rice. Popular for bento
      Bento

      is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickling or cooking vegetables as a side dish....
      , often covered with nori
      Nori

      is the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver ....
      . A bento with okaka and nori is called "nori-ben".
    • Dried okaka is used as an ingredient of furikake
      Furikake

      is any dry Cuisine of Japan condiment meant to be sprinkled on top of rice. It typically consists of a mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate....
       rice topping (called "okaka furikake").
  • As a seasoning for cold tofu
    Tofu

    Tofu , also , doufu , toufu, or bean curd , is a food of China origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks....
     (hiyayakko
    Hiyayakko

    is a popular Japanese cuisine made with chilled tofu and toppings. It is usually served during the summer season. There are two kinds of tofu used in hiyayakko: kinugoshi , which is more frequently used, and the less common momen ....
    , ??) along with grated ginger
    Ginger

    Ginger is a spice which is used for cooking and is also consumed whole as a delicacy or medicine. It is the rhizome of the Zingiber, Zingiber officinale....
     and Welsh onion
    Welsh onion

    Allium fistulosum L., widely known as the Welsh Onion or Spring Onion, is a member of the onion family, Alliaceae. The species is very similar in taste and odor to the related garden onion, Allium cepa, and hybrids between the two exist....
     (a type of spring onion.)
  • Sprinkled with sesame
    Sesame

    Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalization in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
     seeds and chopped nori
    Nori

    is the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver ....
     atop cold soba noodles (zarusoba
    Soba

    File:Preparing Soba 06 cutting.jpg is a type of thin Japanese cuisine noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup....
    ).
  • As a topping on takoyaki
    Takoyaki

    is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter , diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps , beni shoga, and Welsh onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver , mayonnaise, and katsuobushi , originating from Osaka....
     and okonomiyaki
    Okonomiyaki

    is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" ....
    .
  • As a seasoning on century egg
    Century egg

    Century egg, also known as preserved egg, hundred-year egg, thousand-year egg, and thousand-year-old egg, is a Chinese cuisine ingredient made by preserving duck, chicken or quail egg in mixture of clay, ash, salt, Calcium oxide, and rice straw for several weeks to several months, depending on the method of processin...
     along with sesame oil
    Sesame oil

    Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. Besides being used as a cooking oil in South India, it is often used as a flavor enhancer in Chinese cuisine, Taiwanese cuisine, Korean cuisine, and to a lesser extent, Southeast Asian cuisine....
     and soy sauce
    Soy sauce

    Soy sauce , soya sauce , or shoyu is a fermentation sauce made from soybeans , roasted cereal, water and Sodium chloride. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years....
    .
  • As a high-protein treat for cat
    Cat

    The cat , also known as the Domestication cat or house cat to distinguish it from other Felinae and Felidae, is a small predationy carnivore species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, scorpions, and other unwanted household pests....
    s sold at pet stores.


Popular culture

  • Katsuobushi was the inspiration for the title of the John Lennon
    John Lennon

    John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles....
     album Shaved Fish
    Shaved Fish

    Shaved Fish is the seventh album by John Lennon, released in October 1975 on Apple Records, catalogue SW 3421. It is a compilation of single , comprising every one that he had issued in the United States as a solo artist with the exception of "Stand By Me ," taken from the album Rock 'n' Roll ....
    .
  • The original Iron Chef Japanese on the television show Iron Chef
    Iron Chef

    Iron Chef is a Japanese television program produced by Fuji Television. The original Japanese title is . The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cooking competition featuring accomplished guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredi...
    , Rokusaburo Michiba
    Rokusaburo Michiba

    Rokusaburo Michiba is a Japanese cuisine chef most notable as the first Japanese Iron Chef on the television series Iron Chef. He was on the show from its inception in 1993 until his retirement on his 65th birthday, January 3, 1996....
    , was known on the show for his trademark "broth of vigor", created from katsuobushi.


External links

  • seen in the Tsukiji fish market
    Tsukiji fish market

    is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, and is a major attraction for foreign visitors....