Processed staples ── Nerimono (fish-paste products)
Tsumire
Tsumire — hand-torn fish dumplings
Tsumire is fish-paste dumplings -- usually oily fish like sardine or horse mackerel -- torn off by hand or spoon rather than shaped, and boiled. The fish used shifts by region, and it's a common hot-pot ingredient.
Lineage
What it's made of
Paste from oily fish like sardine or horse mackerel, mixed with aromatics, torn into bite-sized pieces by hand or spoon, and boiled. Using the fish down to the bone gives it a strong flavor, meant to be enjoyed together with the broth it melts its umami into. Ginger and scallion are worked in, it's said, to tame the stronger smell that oily fish can carry.
How it's made
Paste from oily fish is mixed with ginger or other aromatics, then -- skipping any mold -- torn off in pieces with fingers or a spoon straight into simmering broth. The same paste shaped ahead of time instead is called tsukune, a related but distinct method. Its uneven, hand-torn shape is part of the appeal, said to add character to the simmered dish.
Why it took this shape
Skipping the work of shaping it, and dropping the catch straight into the pot, is thought to be what led to how it's eaten today. Which fish gets used shifts by region -- sardine and horse mackerel in Kanto, flying fish along Kyushu and the Sea of Japan coast -- so what lands nearby becomes the filling itself. Common in hot pots and soups, it sits closer to home cooking than most other fish-paste products.
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.