Have you ever tried Japanese “Kamaboko”?
How about “Sasa Kamaboko”?
First of all, kamaboko is made from fish paste and some more ingredients. It is eaten a lot throughout Japan and there are plenty of ways to cook or eat it, for example, just eating it as it is, deep-frying, putting it in noodle dishes and so on. Then, sasa kamaboko is a special kind of kamaboko and well-known as a symbolic product of Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture.
“Sasa” means bamboo leaf in the Japanese language. By the way, do you know of Masamune Date who was the lord of Sendai area in the 16-17th century? Sasa kamaboko was named after his family crest as it was symbolized bamboo.
Flatfish (Hirame)
Around 1900, there were tons of flatfishes were being caught near Sendai. Although flatfish was too good to make kamaboko, one man thought of making kamaboko from them. It was because they were too many to eat before they go bad because of the insufficient storage facilities like freezers or refrigerators. Of course, the kamaboko was very tasty. Soon after that, many people followed after him and some people founded shops of kamaboko in Sendai. This is how sasa kamaboko was created in Sendai.
Sasa kamaboko is thicker and softer than ordinal kamaboko and has more flavour of fish. Now, sasa kamaboko is very popular not only as a side dish but also as a snack for tea time because it is not required you to cook. What you need to do is just take it out of the fridge, then it is ready to eat. Besides, you may want to know that there is a way to make it even tastier. The way is putting it on fire. Grilling it for a very short time makes it much tastier, and you may also feel a flavour of grilled fish when it is done with very good quality.
Sunset in Matsushima
In Matsushima, which is one of the three most scenic spots in Japan (Nihon Sankei) and not far from Sendai, you can try grilling it with Japanese traditional stove called “Irori”. The taste of sasa kamaboko grilled by yourself eating beside the beautiful ocean is remarkable.