Processed staples ── Nerimono (fish-paste products)
Arumado
Arumado — a Hirado kamaboko log with a hard-boiled egg dyed pink at its core
A hard-boiled egg dyed pink is wrapped in fish paste and steamed into a kamaboko log that shows a pink-rimmed cross-section when cut — a Hirado specialty, with kin dishes called "arimado" in Sasebo and "ryugan" in Nagasaki.
- Origin: Nagasaki Hirado
- About 970 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
A fish-paste roll wrapped around a hard-boiled egg dyed with red food coloring, its defining feature being the pink-edged cross-section revealed when it's cut in half. Because the cut face resembles a dragon's eye, it's called 'dragon eye' in Nagasaki city and 'arimado' in Sasebo — different names for what's said to be a shared local favorite. It's sold routinely at local fish cake shops, a sign of how deeply it's woven into daily life.
How it's made
A hard-boiled egg dyed with red food coloring is wrapped in fish paste, then steamed or boiled until set. It's cut into halves or quarters and arranged on a plate so the cross-section looks like a dragon's eye. It's eaten as is or with a seasoning of choice, and in recent years has also found its way into oden. Centering the egg precisely while wrapping it in fish paste is said to be the skill that determines the finished look.
Why it took this shape
The dish is said to come from the Hirado district, a hub of foreign trade until the early Edo period, and its Western-sounding name is said to derive from either a Dutch word for 'to wrap' or a Portuguese word for 'to arm.' With the egg's red-tinted ring at its center, it's said to have long been treasured as an auspicious dish for celebrations. In Sasebo, one story holds it was devised by a missionary as a nutritious food, though the tale is treated as one account among others.
Before you go
- How to use a convenience storeA quick guide to choosing rice balls and hot snacks, buying coffee, paying by cash, IC card, or tap payment, using the eat-in corner, and sorting your trash — the basics for a first visit.
- How to shop in a depachika (department store food hall)A guide to browsing prepared foods and bento, choosing wagashi as a gift with a good shelf life, sampling etiquette, end-of-day discounts, asking for cold packs and wrapping, and finding your way around a depachika floor.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
Dishes in the same style
- Ago ChikuwaChikuwa made from the surimi of flying fish, called "ago" in Tottori. A knife through the firm grilled skin sends up a fragrant crackle, and it turns out darker than ordinary chikuwa. It's a taste of early summer, in season through the fish's spawning run from spring into summer.
- Ago-yakiAgo-yaki is Izumo noyaki made from flying-fish paste, fire-baked without a skewer. Its crackling surface and refined sweetness make it a favorite travel souvenir from Shimane.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Nagasaki
- Goto UdonA hand-pulled noodle from Shinkamigoto, Nagasaki. Its technique is thought to trace back to envoys returning from Tang China, and the island's camellia oil is worked into the dough for a smooth, elastic bite.
- HanahajikiCucumber, carrot, deep-fried tofu, and shrimp are cut into strips and fanned out on a plate to be dipped in a hot mustard vinegar-miso — a dish from Isahaya said to be named for how the mustard "flicks the nose," traditionally served at Buddhist memorial services.
- HatoshiShrimp and squid paste sandwiched in bread and deep-fried, a Nagasaki specialty said to have arrived from China in the Meiji era, growing from a shippoku banquet course into a food loved across the city.
- HikadoFish or chicken and vegetables like daikon and carrot are diced fine and simmered, thickened at the end with grated sweet potato — said to originate in a meat stew eaten by Portuguese residents of Nagasaki, its name from the Portuguese word for "minced."
- HikitoshiChicken raised at home is butchered for this Iki hot pot, typically enriched with iki-doufu, a rich local tofu, and firm-boiled somen — said to have begun as a dish served to guests in the inner parlor, its name tracing to "hiki-toshi," leading a guest through.
- Agodashi RamenA ramen said to have started on Ikitsuki island off Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture. A soy-based broth built on grilled and dried flying-fish stock, eaten across a wider stretch of Nagasaki where agodashi is part of everyday cooking.