Chikuwa

by Tom on January 10th, 2008

Chikuwa fit into a category of never living foods such as vegemite, crab sticks (seafood extender) and space food sticks.  There is no recognisable part of anything in them that convinces anyone that they are actually an edible food.  There is nothing that tells you that they can safely be eaten or even that they are good to eat.  No recognisable texture.  No natural flavours and no genuine aromas.  But they taste good.

Of course chikuwa (fish sausage) reminds you of fish.  Its smell and its taste are sort of like something that was once nearby a fish, but still not really fishy.  However they do taste sort of good, and everyone secretly enjoys eating them almost as much as the real thing.

This version of chikuwa comes in a stick that is ridged along its length for decoration and has the pretty pink swirl through it to suggest dainty refinement.  Other versions contain pictures or more elaborate patterns, while some are just plain white.

Chikuwa goes well in soups like ramen or nabe hot pots like sukiyaki.  By them selves they are a bit pointless but in a dish they can make all the difference.

Gourmets may disagree with me but I think chikuwa is one of the nicest foods to ever impersonate fish yet.