Fishcakes

History and Culture

Fish paste products are products made by adding salt to fish meat, kneading the fish meat, and heating it to solidify. In old days, when eating fish, it appeared that people in many parts of the world were smearing salted ground fish meat on the surface of a wood or bamboo stick and grilling it over an open flame.
In Japan, fish paste products date back to the Heian period. The original form of fish paste was recorded as a banquet dish in "Ruiju-zoyosho," which described the details of events and ceremonies of noble people of those days.

Until today, unique cultures of various fish paste products developed in many parts of Japan and they have been passed down through generations. According to the FY2021 Fishery Processing Statistics Survey (The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), the total production volume of processed fishery products is approximately 1.43 million tonnes. Fish paste products account for slightly more than 30% of processed fishery products, approximately 495,000 t. A variety of products focusing on the unique preferences of individual consumers are produced.
"Kanikama" or imitation crab meat has been widely accepted in Western countries and popular as "surimi." According to the Trade statistics of Japan released by the Ministry of Finance (2021), the top exporting destinations of fish paste products are the United States, followed by Hong Kong and China. It is suggested that there is a large demand for fish paste products by Japanese restaurants and Sushi restaurants overseas.
Fish paste products have been drawing much attention not only in Japan, but also around the world. In light of the situation, in addition to passing down traditional techniques of fish paste production, development of new traditional food products loved by people around the world is highly desired.

Characteristics and Types

Two categories of fish paste products are outlined below.

[Kamaboko]
There are theories about the origin of kamaboko. Given that kamaboko production does not involve complicated special processes, it is likely that kamaboko was developed in a decentralized manner in each region rather than being invented in and spreading from a specific place. The oldest existing document is "Ruiju-zoyosho" in the Heian period, which described the menu of dishes served at a cerebration ceremony held on July 21, 1115 by Fujiwara no Tadazane, who held the position of Kanpaku Udaijin. In early days, kamaboko was produced into the form of grilled chikuwa.
Outside Japan, various seafood traditions similar to kamaboko of Japan have been passed down around the world: fish cakes made from cod in northern Europe; surimi made from angulas, or baby eels in Spain; and fish balls, which are meatballs made from fish paste filled with ground pork in Taiwan. The kinds of fish used vary from region to region, and common fish caught in each region is utilized.

[Chikuwa]
Chikuwa is made from fish surimi by wrapping it around a bamboo or metal stick and heating it. Chikuwa also has regional variations. The name chikuwa (which means "bamboo ring" in kanji) comes from fish surimi, which was smeared on the surface of a bamboo stick in a manner as if it were a head of cattail. In some old documents, chikuwa was written as "蒲穂子" (literally means "the head of cattail").

In the Sanin region, "ago-noyaki" made from flying fish is a well-known fish cake. Toyohashi City in Aichi Prefecture is known to be the place of origin where chikuwa production leading to today's production technique started.
There are records of chikuwa stuffed with salt and coated further with salt being transported to the mountainous country as preserved foodstuffs.

Production Methods

There are various production methods both for kamaboko and for chikuwa. These fish paste products are produced by adding salt to fish meat, grinding meat, mixing in ingredients that the recipe called for, and then forming the meat into a desired shape. The formed fish cakes are finished by heating and coagulation.
The techniques of grinding ingredients are roughly grouped into two types: pounding and grinding. Prior to the Meiji period, production methods using a mortar and pestle was the most common method. In the Meiji period, as a result of motorization of fishing boats used to catch fish for fish paste, as well as the development of machine netting, the catch increased, leading to the development of production technology and long-term preservation technology for processed fishery products. Manual meat grinders were introduced around the time period.
In the Taisho period to early Showa period, production processes that had required human power previously were mechanized, and mass production became possible.
There are different methods for heating, which include grilling, boiling, steaming, steaming-and-grilling, and frying.
There are also various molding techniques: some techniques involve molding by applying fish paste on a board, and other techniques involve molding that leaves a hole in the middle.
Today, there are a variety of production methods all over Japan in terms of the cleaning/preparation of fish used for fish paste products, seasoning, method of grinding, how many times to grind, and the means of refrigeration (freezing).

Relationship with Regions

A vast variety of fish paste products are produced in areas around the fishing grounds for the fish used for fish paste products. Some examples are "sasa-kamaboko" of Miyagi Prefecture, "hanpen" in Tokyo, "mushiita-kamaboko" in Odawara City in Kanagawa Prefecture, "noyaki-chikuwa" in Shimane Prefecture, "jako-ten" in Ehime Prefecture, "tsuke-age" in Kagoshima Prefecture, and "chikiagi" in Okinawa Prefecture. Many unique food cultures are developed in areas around the fishing ports all over Japan.
In Tottori Prefecture, where soybeans were widely cultivated, there is a product called "tofu-chikuwa," which is made by mixing the fish meat for fish paste with tofu.

Contribution to Sustainability and SDGs

The health value of fish meat has been drawing attention. Alaska pollock, the ingredient for fish paste products, is rich in quality protein, and it is expected to be effective in maintaining and strengthening muscles. Fish paste products are ready to eat without cleaning fish or preparation, and come in handy to provide nutrients. Therefore, fish paste, known as surimi, are popular around the world.
(3. Good Health and Well-being)

Reference

Haruhiko Toyohara, Hiroyasu Oka, Heiji Fujita, Jyoji Yamamoto, Minoru Okada, Yoshio Kaminishi, Tsutomu Kinjo, Fujio Nishioka, Makoto Shiba, Tsuneo Ikeuchi, Minoru Okada, Mitsutoshi Nagase, Shigezo Naito, and Noboru Kato, edited by the Japanese Society of Traditional Food, "Nihon no Dento Shkokuhin Jiten" [Encyclopedia of Traditional Japanese Food], Asakura Publishing Co., Ltd., p.407-457