Processed staples ── Nerimono (fish-paste products)
Tofu Chikuwa
Tofu Chikuwa — Tottori's fish-light chikuwa
Tofu chikuwa is Tottori's fish cake kneaded with firm tofu. It's said to have grown out of a place where fish was scarce for lack of a developed harbor, so soybeans filled the gap, and it's still beloved as a local flavor today.
- Origin: Tottori City, Tottori
- About 500 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Fish paste kneaded with firm tofu, shaped like chikuwa and steamed. Adding tofu is said to keep it low in calories while high in protein, layering the tofu's softness over chikuwa's usual bounce. Curry and lemon-flavored versions have also been developed, and it's embraced today as a regional specialty food.
How it's made
Firm tofu and fish paste are mixed together, shaped into the chikuwa form, and steamed rather than grilled. Steaming instead of baking, and using less fish paste thanks to the tofu, are what set it apart from ordinary chikuwa. How well the tofu is drained shapes the texture, and the moistness of the finish is said to vary from maker to maker.
Why it took this shape
It's said to trace back to 1648, when Tottori's new domain lord Ikeda Mitsunaka encouraged people to eat tofu in place of fish. At the time, the domain's harbors were underdeveloped and fish was precious, while soybeans were grown widely and tofu shops filled the castle town -- conditions said to have led to this tofu-based fish cake. Some makers in Tottori city still carry on methods passed down since the Edo period, kept alive today as a local flavor.
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.
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 Tottori
- 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.
- Akagarei no KomaburiRoe-bearing red flounder is sliced into sashimi and tossed with its own boiled, crumbled eggs, a dish from around the Amijiro area of Iwami Town. Said to have descended from a similar dish made with crucian carp roe, it pairs rich eggs with mild, fatty winter flounder for festivals and New Year's.
- Azuki ZouniSoft round rice cakes are added to a broth of simmered red beans, the mainstream style of New Year's zoni in Tottori. Red beans have long been thought to ward off misfortune, and the dish is said to be simmered on New Year's morning with the year's first water and a purified flame, then shared among family.
- Daisen-doriA branded chicken said to be raised end-to-end, from breeding stock to processing, by producers at the foot of Mount Daisen — free-ranged longer than usual on an antibiotic-free feed aimed at balancing fat and flavor.
- Daisen OkowaShiitake, burdock, and chicken are cooked into sticky rice seasoned with soy, a dish from the foot of Mount Daisen. Said to trace back to warrior monks preparing it before battle to pray for victory, it was later served at the horse-and-cattle market by Daisen-ji temple and carried on into festivals and hospitality since.
- Daisen RubyBred at Tottori Prefecture's livestock station by crossing a sow of the oleic-acid-rich Daisen Akabuta line with a Berkshire boar, said to inherit both breeds' fat quality and tenderness.