''Katsu ika odori-don'' (活いか踊り丼, dancing squid rice bowl) is a Japanese dish consisting of a fresh
squid
A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...
atop either rice or noodles. Upon pouring
soy sauce
Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
on the squid, it squirms ("dances") as the muscles react to the
sodium
Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...
in the sauce, in a similar manner to how
frog legs
Frog legs () are the muscular hindlimbs of frogs that are consumed as food by humans in some cuisines. Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium. They are often said to taste like chicken because of the mild fl ...
twitch when being seasoned. The dish is commonly served with salmon eggs and other toppings.
Preparation and serving
Noodles or rice are cooked and placed in a bowl and topped with salmon eggs and other ingredients. Next, a live squid's head is removed, and its body placed on top of the dish. When served, the squid appears lifeless until soy sauce, or any other sodium-rich liquid, is applied.
The sodium activates muscles which make the squid's arms wriggle momentarily. Occasionally, the movement is enough to escape the bowl. Afterward, the body is removed, sliced and placed on top of the dish.
Origin
The dish, based on the traditional Japanese dish "''ika-don''", was renamed to "''odori-don''" when the sushi restaurant Ikkatei Tabiji in Japan's Hokkaido Prefecture began serving the squid whole, as opposed to slicing it as was previous prepared.
"Dancing"
Although the squid seems to be momentarily alive, the phenomenon is a result of adding soy sauce, which contains sodium chloride. An increased concentration of sodium ions cause neurons adjacent to muscles in the tentacles to fire (see
action potential
An action potential (also known as a nerve impulse or "spike" when in a neuron) is a series of quick changes in voltage across a cell membrane. An action potential occurs when the membrane potential of a specific Cell (biology), cell rapidly ri ...
). Stimulation of the muscles by neurons causes an increase in the calcium concentration in muscle cells which, together with
adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a nucleoside triphosphate that provides energy to drive and support many processes in living cell (biology), cells, such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, and chemical synthesis. Found in all known ...
(ATP) left in the cells posthumously, results in
muscle contraction
Muscle contraction is the activation of Tension (physics), tension-generating sites within muscle cells. In physiology, muscle contraction does not necessarily mean muscle shortening because muscle tension can be produced without changes in musc ...
that make it seem like the squid is "dancing".
See also
*
Sannakji
''San-nakji'' () is a variety of '' hoe'' (raw dish) made with long arm octopus (''Octopus minor''), a small octopus species called ''nakji'' in Korean and is sometimes translated into "baby octopus" due to its relatively small size compared to ...
*
Odorigui
''Odorigui'' ( 踊り食い, literally "dancing eating") is a mode of seafood consumption in Japanese cuisine.
''Odorigui'' refers to the consumption of live seafood while it is still moving, or the consumption of moving animal parts. Animals u ...
References
External links
YouTube video of odori-don
Original Youtube video of Odori-don
{{Sushi, state=expanded
Sushi