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 since they are not accompanied by

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. Traditionally, the Japanese regarded sake, which is made from rice, as a substitute for white rice served in a standard Japanese meal, and as a result some Japanese do not eat rice and drink alcohol simultaneously. Sakana are served in drinking establishments known as izakaya. When first seated in an izakaya, an ''otōshi'' (お通し) or appetizer is placed on the table before any drinks are ordered. The ''otōshi'' is charged to the customer as a type of cover charge. Common otoshi include cabbage salad (often refilled free of charge), Japanese-style potato salad, tsukemono, and shiokara. Sakana are ordered throughout the time one is drinking and come to the table a few at a time. It is common to order a different kind of sakana as a ''shime'', last dish. ''Shime'' are often softer dishes like noodles or sweeter dishes like tamagoyaki. It is common for sakana to also be served at home or in private when alcohol is consumed. There are a variety of cookbooks that give examples of sakana that are easy to prepare at home. Combini and other stores that sell alcohol often have a selection of pre-packaged dried snacks, canned items, and pickles designed to be consumed as sakana. Sakana were originally designed to be paired with shochu or sake. Since the 19th century, the market share for Japanese beer has expanded in Japan. In 1959

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

overtook sake as the nation's most popular alcoholic beverage in taxable shipping volume, and at the same time various foods designed to accompany beer have become popular. There are also sakana designed to be paired with wine. Sakana have embraced not only '' washoku'', Japanese cuisine, but also '' yōshoku'', Western-influenced dishes. It is not uncommon to encounter Naporitan or Italian-style pasta,

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

, and gyoza in modern izakaya. Some of the most common sakana are actually '' yōshoku'', including potato salad, korokke and other deep-fried foods.

Etymology

The term ''sakana'' traditionally refers to food served with sake, and originates from the words ''saka'' (sake) and ''na'' (side dish). Because dried fish and salted fish roe were popular choice for such dishes, over the years the term ''sakana'' also came to mean "fish." Japanese people associate pronunciation “''sakana''” with “fish” unless it is with alcohol. In

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

, "肴,snack" and "魚,fish" are distinguished. Another word for "snack" in Japanese is .The Japanese noun ''tsumami'' meaning "something to nibble/eat with a drink", which is beautified by adding an honorific prefix ''o'' and becoming ''otsumami''.; this term usually applies to smaller dishes. Otsumami are generally simpler dishes suited for ''otoshi'' (お通し) or preparing and eating at home. Since ''otoshi'' are placed on the table as customers sit down, they are usually dishes that can be prepared ahead of time in large portions and served cold or at room temperature. This makes them attractive to housewives who wish to prepare a variety of sakana ahead of time. Ate (あて) or ategau (あてがう), meaning accompaniment is also sometimes used to refer to foods that go well with alcohol.

Types of sakana

When drinking at home sakana can be more modest. A bachelor or someone living alone might open a can of mackerel ( sanma or saury) in miso or soy sauce or simply use a pre-packaged form of sakana like pickles or Japanese potato salad bought at a supermarket or convenience store. Certain sakana like kaki no tane are associated with bachelors or older men. Listed below are some common ''sakana''. * Yakitori - grilled skewers of chicken and chicken parts * Kushiage - deep-fried skewers of meat or vegetables *

Sashimi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or Raw meat, meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means 'pierced body', i.e., "wikt:刺身, 刺身" = ''sashimi'', whe ...

- slices of raw fish * Tsukemono - pickles * ''Sakana'' especially popular with beer: ** Edamame - salted and boiled soybean pods ** ''Nankotsu'' (chicken cartilage) karaage ** Sausages * ''Sakana'' especially popular with sake: ** '' Shiokara'' - fermented, salted squid innards etc. ** Roe *** ''Uni'' -

Sea urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...

roe *** '' Ikura'' -

Red caviar Red caviar is a caviar made from the roe of salmonid fishes (various species of salmon and trout), which has an intense reddish hue. It is distinct from black caviar, which is made from the roe of sturgeon.Nichola Fletcher, ''Caviar: A Global ...

(ikra) *** '' Mentaiko'' - spicy pollock roe *** '' Tarako'' - pollock roe *** ''Sujiko'' - salted salmon roe * Small snacks: ** '' Atarime'' / '' Ika Ichiya-boshi'' - Dried

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 ...

** '' Ei-hire'' - dried skate ** Seaweed **

Cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

s or other types of nuts (almonds, mixed nuts, etc.) ** Potato chips or fried potato sticks ** '' Arare'' - crackers made primarily from rice flour with other ingredients ** '' Tatami iwashi'' - small dried sardines pressed into a cracker-like square form

Examples

File:Shin sanma shioyaki by ayustety in Morishita, Tokyo.jpg, Sanma grilled with salt File:Hamachi Kama.jpg, Hamachi kama, tuna collar File:Eihire - stingray meat - Japanese pub food - September 2014.jpg, Eihire, grilled stingray fin File:Ika-yaki 001.jpg, Ikayaki, grilled squid File:Shiokara_001.jpg, Shiokara, fermented squid innards File:Umitake kasuzuke.jpg, Umitake kasuzuke, clam pickled in sake lees File:Takowasa (6752008609).jpg, Takowasa, chopped octopus pickled in wasabi File:Baked mentaiko by ayustety in Marunouchi, Tokyo.jpg, Grilled mentaiko File:Cucumber and mentaiko dish at 鳥亭.jpg, Raw mentaiko with cucumber File:Unagi kabayaki by Kossy@FINEDAYS in Akabane.jpg, Unagi kabayaki, grilled eel File:Oden (25570126098).jpg, Oden File:Edamame by jark.jpg, Edamame File:Three kinds of miso paste and cucumber by Hyougushi in Akita.jpg, Cucumber with hatcho miso File:Okra with umeboshi paste by ayustety in Tsukiji, Tokyo.jpg, Boiled okra with umeboshi paste File:Potato salad.jpg, Japanese potato salad File:鮨ハーベストのサラダ.jpg, Cabbage salad File:Goma-ae salad.jpg, Goma-ae, spinach salad in sesame dressing File:Yakitori 015.jpg,

Tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

marinated in dashi File:Kushiyaki- assorted kawa (chicken skin), yamaimo (sticky yam), shishito.jpg, Grilled kawa (chicken skin), yamaimo, shishito File:Dengaku.jpg, Miso dengaku, miso grilled eggplant File:Kushiyaki- ginkgo nuts.jpg, Roasted ginkgo nuts File:Yakitori 016.jpg, Asazuke

eggplant Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...

File:酒とタバコ (3158962313).jpg, Bean sprout namul and pickled rakkyo File:Takanaduke2.jpg, Takanazuke, pickled mustard greens File:Bettarazuke.jpg, Bettarazuke, pickled daikon File:Misozuke (Miso picles) of Daikon Radish and Cucumber.jpg, Miso pickled daikon and cucumber File:Chicken karaage 003.jpg, Karaage File:Yakitoriplate2011jan.jpg, Assorted yakitori File:Misen Tebasaki 20191110.jpg, Tebasaki File:Gyoza, Sakura Ramen, Montparnasse, Paris 001.jpg, Gyoza usually contain pork File:コロッケ (2598213730).jpg, Korokke File:Beef and potato stew in Japanese-style (6225795153).jpg, Nikujaga File:Hiyayakko by a.koto.jpg, Hiyayakko File:Agedashi tofu, fried tofu with broth.jpg, Agedashi tofu, fried tofu in dashi broth File:鳥焼き居酒屋_(39394233682).jpg, Tamagoyaki File:Instant chazuke by shibainu.jpg, Ochazuke, green tea over rice File:小料理バルさくら特製おにぎり.jpg, Onigiri File:Yaki Onigiri or roasted rice ball and Takuan 2019-11-5 Tottori City.jpg, Yaki-onigiri File:Fried noodle (24327702692).jpg, Yakisoba File:Arare rice crackers-0415.jpg, Arare rice crackers File:Tatami-iwashi.JPG, Tatami iwashi File:Supermercado-japones078.jpg, Various otsumami sold at a supermarket File:A can of Takara Lemon Chu-hi.PNG, Chu-hi can sold with otsumami attached on the top

In media

Sakana are an everyday part of Japan's drinking culture. Japanese variety shows, magazines, and newspapers frequently feature recipes for homemade sakana. There are numerous food manga and anime that focus on depicting sakana, some notable examples are: * '' Shin'ya Shokudō'' is a long running food

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

about the sakana the owner of a diner that is only open from midnight to dawn makes for his eccentric patrons. It has been made into a live action drama. Unlike a standard izakaya, the owner will prepare any food a customer requests if he has the ingredients. * '' Takunomi'' is a 4-panel

and

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

focused on drinking at home. Each episode features a different drink, but due to Japanese drinking culture, multiple sakana and otsumami are shown being paired with each drink as alcohol is rarely drunk without a food pairing. * '' Wakakozake'' is a

and

focused on the pleasure the main character gets from pairing the perfect sakana with a drink.

Notes

References