 You might say it's an acquired taste. Some might even say it has no taste at all. But
kamaboko, a mainstay in Japan for the last three or four centuries and a delicacy for about a thousand years before that, is an absolute must in a wide variety of dishes.
Though you'd hardly know it from its flavor or odor, kamaboko is made from
fish. Texture is the main criterion for quality, but this is particularly difficult to describe in
words. "Rubbery" is close. Perhaps "chewy" is better. In any case, the usual translation of
kamaboko as "fish paste" is totally misleading, not to mention unappetizing.
But technically it is a "paste," made from pureed fish meat, mixed with a binder
such as arrowroot or various kinds of potato flour. The fish is steamed until it is uniformly
soft. Before it is mixed with the starch, salt and sometimes sugar, all the pesky bones are
removed, too. This produces an easy-to-eat source of protein, and it means practically any
fish can be used—even the very bony varieties that other fishing cultures consider "trash."
In ancient times, it was wrapped around sticks of bamboo, resulting in a "cat
tail" look from which its name is derived. But today it usually is formed into small loaves,
weighing roughly a pound each. Supporting each loaf is a thin plank of untreated wood,
usually pine, which serves as a self-contained cutting board. This is useful because whether
kamaboko is served by itself as an appetizer with a little soy sauce, or added as a garnish to
soups, noodles or stir-fries, it is normally presented in slices about three to four millimeters
thick.
Typically, the outer few centimeters of a loaf of kamaboko are colored with
vegetable dye, usually pink. Perhaps this is because its "real" color—most kindly described as
"off-gray"—is rather bland.
Sometimes it comes in a tube-like shape, often with lateral ridges. When sliced,
the tube reveals a spiral of pink coloring into its center, and what were the ridges now form
a kind of gear-tooth effect around the disc. Kids love it.
Why are we telling you all this? One reason is that Fukushima Prefecture is one
of Japan's top producers of steamed kamaboko, with annual shipments in the tens of
thousands of tons worth tens of billions of yen.
The other reason is that kamaboko, believe it or not, is really delicious. Acquire
some if you can, and taste it yourself. | 
