,
is a food 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 ot ...
made from various marine animals that consists of small pieces of meat in a brown viscous paste of the animal's heavily
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...
ed,
fermented viscera
In biology, 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 act together in a ...
.
The raw viscera are mixed with about 10% salt, 30%
malted rice, packed in a closed container, and fermented for up to a month. ''Shiokara'' is sold in glass or plastic containers.
The flavor is similar in saltiness and fishiness to that of European cured anchovies, but with a different texture. One of the best-known ''
chinmi'' ("rare tastes"),
it is quite strong and is considered something of an acquired taste even for the native
Japanese palate.
It was a valuable protein in post-war Japan because food was scarce and it did not require refrigeration. It continued to be eaten as a condiment for rice and in bars.
One method of enjoying it is to consume the serving in one gulp and to follow it with a shot of straight
whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...
. Some bars in Japan specialize in ''shiokara''.
Some types of ''shiokara''
* Ika no shiokara—from
cuttlefish
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control ...
"
squid
True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting ...
", the most common variety
* Hotaruika no shiokara—from
firefly squid
* Katsuo no shiokara—from
skipjack tuna
* Kaki no shiokara—from
oyster
Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not a ...
* Uni no shiokara—from
sea urchin
Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) ...
roe
* Ami no shiokara—from
Mysidacea
The Mysidacea is a group of shrimp-like crustaceans in the superorder Peracarida, comprising the two extant orders Mysida and Lophogastrida and the prehistoric Pygocephalomorpha
The order Pygocephalomorpha is an extinct group of peracarid cr ...
, a
krill-like crustacean
Some shiokara types have special names:
* — from
fiddler crab
* — from
sea cucumber
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothu ...
*
mefun — from
chum salmon
The chum salmon (''Oncorhynchus keta''), also known as dog salmon or keta salmon, is a species of anadromous salmonid fish from the genus '' Oncorhynchus'' (Pacific salmon) native to the coastal rivers of the North Pacific and the Beringian ...
* — from
ayu
Ayu or AYU may refer to:
* Ayu (given name)
* Ayu sweetfish (''Plecoglossus altivelis''), a species of smelt
* ''Ayu'', a local name for the African manatee
* Ayu (singer) or Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer
* Ayu Islands, a small archipelago in I ...
*
shuto — from
skipjack tuna (''katsuo'')
See also
*
Dayok, a similar Filipino preparation
*
Bekasang, a similar Indonesian preparation
*
Anchovies as food
*
Jeotgal
*
Natto
References
{{Japanese food and drink
Fermented fish
Fermented foods
Japanese seafood