Sakana
Encyclopedia
or is a Japanese
term referring to food eaten as an accompaniment to alcohol. Sakana may also be referred to as otsumami; this term usually applies to smaller dishes. Because fish, especially dried fish, was a popular choice for these dishes, over the years the term sakana also came to mean "fish".
has overtaken sake as the nation's most popular alcoholic beverage , and at the same time various foods designed to accompany beer have become popular. These dishes, served in restaurant-pubs known as izakaya
, are usually more substantial than tapas
although they are not considered a meal
as such as they do not contain the all-important Japanese rice
. 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 many Japanese do not eat rice and drink alcohol simultaneously.
Listed below are some common sakana.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
term referring to food eaten as an accompaniment to alcohol. Sakana may also be referred to as otsumami; this term usually applies to smaller dishes. Because fish, especially dried fish, was a popular choice for these dishes, over the years the term sakana also came to mean "fish".
Types of sakana
In Japan, when alcohol is consumed, it is customary that the drinks are always accompanied with some sort of foodstuff. The term sakana traditionally refer to food served to accompany sake. These are usually quite salty and served in relatively small portions. However, since the 19th Century, Japanese beerJapanese beer
Beer in Japan had its start in the 17th century during the Edo Period when the Dutch opened a beer hall for sailors working the trade route between Japan and the Dutch Empire...
has overtaken sake as the nation's most popular alcoholic beverage , and at the same time various foods designed to accompany beer have become popular. These dishes, served in restaurant-pubs known as izakaya
Izakaya
An is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are popular, casual places for after-work drinking.-Name:...
, are usually more substantial than tapas
Tapas
Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....
although they are not considered a meal
Meal
A meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food.Meals occur primarily at homes, restaurants, and cafeterias, but may occur anywhere. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day...
as such as they do not contain the all-important Japanese rice
Japanese rice
Japanese rice, or japonica, is a short-grain variety of rice which is characterized by its unique stickiness and texture. It also comes in a variety called mochigome which is used for making mochi...
. Traditionally, the Japanese regarded sake, which is made from rice, as a substitute for white rice served in a standard Japanese meal
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
, and as a result many Japanese do not eat rice and drink alcohol simultaneously.
Listed below are some common sakana.
- YakitoriYakitori, grilled chicken, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term Yakitori can also refer to skewered food in general. Kushiyaki , is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled...
- grilled skewers of chicken and chicken parts - Kushiyaki - grilled skewers of meat or vegetables
- SashimiSashimiSashimi is a Japanese delicacy. It consists of very fresh raw meat, most commonly fish, sliced into thin pieces.-Origin:The word sashimi means "pierced body", i.e...
- slices of raw fish - TsukemonoTsukemonoare Japanese pickles. They are served with rice as okazu with drinks as an otsumami , as an accompaniment to or garnish for meals, and as a course in the kaiseki portion of a Japanese tea ceremony....
- pickles - KimchiKimchiKimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
- spicy Korean pickles - Sakana especially popular with beer:
- EdamameEdamameor Edamame bean is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod commonly found in Japan, China, and Hawaii. The pods are boiled in water together with condiments such as salt, and served whole....
- salted and steamed soybean pods - Sausages
- Edamame
- Sakana especially popular with sake:
- ShiokaraShiokarais a food in Japanese cuisine made from various marine animals that consists of small pieces of meat in a brown viscous paste of the animal's heavily salted, fermented viscera. The raw viscera are mixed with about 10% salt, 30% malted rice, packed in a closed container, and fermented for up to a...
- fermented, salted squid innards etc. - RoeRoeRoe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
- Uni - Sea UrchinSea urchinSea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
roe - Ikura - salmon roeRoeRoe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
- MentaikoMentaikois the marinated roe of pollock, and is a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Mentaiko originated from myeongran jeot of Korean cuisine and was introduced to Japan after the Russo-Japanese War. , a Busan-born Japanese, adapted Korean mentaiko to Japanese tastes in Fukuoka in the 1950s. The name...
- spicy pollock roe - TarakoTarako (food), in Japanese cuisine, is a salted roe food, usually made from Alaska pollock, although actually means cod in Japanese.Tarako is served in a number of ways:*Plain *As a filling for onigiri*As a pasta sauce...
- pollock roe - Sujiko
- Uni - Sea Urchin
- Shiokara
- Small snacks
- Atarime / Ika Ichiya-boshi - Dried squidSquidSquid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
- Ei-hire - dried skateSkateSkates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. There are more than 200 described species in 27 genera. There are two subfamilies, Rajinae and Arhynchobatinae ....
- SeaweedSeaweedSeaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
- CheeseCheeseCheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
- PeanutPeanutThe peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s - Arare - crackers made primarily from rice flour with other ingredients
- Tatami IwashiTatami IwashiFor the Naruto character, see List of Konoha ChuninTatami Iwashi is a Japanese processed food product made from baby sardines or shirasu laid out and dried while entwined in a single layer to form a large mat-like sheet...
- small dried sardines pressed into a cracker-like square form
- Atarime / Ika Ichiya-boshi - Dried squid
See also
- IzakayaIzakayaAn is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are popular, casual places for after-work drinking.-Name:...
- Snack barSnack barthumb|A snack bar in AmsterdamA snack bar usually refers to an inexpensive food counter that is part of a permanent structure where snack foods and light meals are sold. A beach snack bar is often a small building situated high on the sand. Besides soft drinks, candies and chewing gum, some snack...
- Japanese CuisineJapanese cuisineJapanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
- TapasTapasTapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....
- MezeMezeMeze or mezze is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean and Middle East as dinner or lunch, with or without drinks. In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals....
- Anju (food)Anju (food)Anju is a general term for a Korean side dish consumed with alcohol . Some of these side dishes can also be ordered as an appetizer or a main dish. These side dishes are different from the banchan side dishes served with a regular Korean meal...