【Reading】かつおぶし

【English Name】Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes)

Katsuobushi is a traditional Japanese preserved food made by boiling the flesh of bonito (katsuo, a member of the family Scombridae) and then removing the moisture, and is also affectionately known by the names "katsubushi" and "okaka."

In the production process, the fish body is cut into three or more pieces, shaped into boat-shaped blocks called "bushi," and then repeatedly boiled and smoke-dried. The highest-grade product, called "honkarebushi," is made by additionally inoculating it with mold and thoroughly removing moisture through sun-drying. By shape, there is "kamebushi," finished as a three-piece filet, and "honbushi," cut into back and belly portions; the back side is called obushi (male bushi) and the belly side mebushi (female bushi).

Its history is extremely old, with traces of bonito consumption remaining from the early Jomon period. In the Taiho Code of 701, dried bonito was designated as a tribute item. In the Edo period, Kakuya Jintaro of Inami-ura in Kishu established the smoke-drying method, laying the foundation of the production techniques that continue to this day. Afterward, the mold-inoculation technique developed in Tosa, dramatically improving quality, and Tosa-bushi, Satsuma-bushi, and Izu-bushi came to be widely recognized as the three major production areas.

Nutritionally, it contains about 77g of protein per 100g and is rich in the umami component inosinic acid. It is an indispensable ingredient for the dashi of washoku, and is also used at sushi restaurants for nikiri soy sauce and dashi-making. Owing to the play on words "katsuo = katsuo (winning man)," it has long been prized as an auspicious ingredient as well.