is made from small fish that are blended into a paste and then fried. It is a special product of Uwajima in southern

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

. Jakoten has a long history, having been eaten since the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

History

According to the ''Jakoten Book'', jakoten was invented in 1614. Originally Date Hidemune made his craftsman make steamed fish pastes in 1615.Yasuhiro Oka, ''Jakoten Book'' (Matsuyama: Ehime Shinbunsha, 2007) The craftsmen made steamed pastes of Uwajima fish. Hidemune was a ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' of Uwajima. He loved steamed fish pastes when he was in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

so he wanted to eat them in Ehime.

Process

Hotarujako, which are small white fish, are good for making jakoten. Hotarujako is the Japanese name for '' Acropoma japonicum'', a member of the

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. Bioluminescence occurs in multifarious organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms inc ...

fish family

Acropomatidae Acropomatidae is a family (biology), family of ray-finned fish in the order (biology), order Acropomatiformes, commonly known as lanternbellies. ''Acropoma'' species are notable for having bioluminescence, light-emitting organs along their unders ...

, called glowbelly or lanternbelly in English. Hotarujako is also called haranbo in Uwajima. First, the heads,

viscera In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to a ...

and scales of the fish are removed. Then, the remaining parts are minced including the bones. Seasoning is added and the minced fish is ground into a paste. Next, it is shaped into rectangular patties by using a wood frame. The patties are fried for several minutes until they become brownish. The pieces of jakoten are now ready.

Eating

When jakoten is eaten, it should be broiled using a frying pan or

shichirin ''Shichirin'' (; , literally "seven wheels") is a small Japanese charcoal grill. Etymology ''Shichirin'' being a compound word made up of the characters 七 (''shichi'' or ''nana'', "seven") and 輪 (''rin'' or ''wa'', "wheel", "loop", or ...

(portable clay stove). It should be eaten with

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 ...

and grated

daikon Daikon 大根 (だいこん) or mooli, (مولی) ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia ...

radish. Jakoten is used in nimono,

udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a soup as with a mild broth called made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usual ...

, salad, etc., and goes well with alcoholic drinks.

References

{{seafood Deep fried foods of Japan Food paste