Sakana
 | This article possibly contains original research. (December 2012) |
In Japan, it is customary to serve alcoholic drinks with snacks called sakana (肴) or shukō (酒肴).
Etymology
The term sakana traditionally refers to food served with sake, and originates from the words saka (sake) and na (side dish). Another word for "snack" in Japanese is otsumami (お摘み).[a] Because dried fish and salted fish roe were popular choice for such dishes, over the years the term sakana also came to mean "fish".
Types of sakana
In Japan, when alcohol is consumed, it is customary that the drinks are accompanied with some sort of foodstuff. These are usually quite salty and served in relatively small portions.
However, since the 19th century, the market share for Japanese beer has been expanded in Japan, which in 1959 overtook sake as the nation's most popular alcoholic beverage in taxable shipping volume,[3] and at the same time various foods designed to accompany beer have become popular.
These dishes, served in restaurant-pubs known as izakaya, are usually more substantial than tapas, although they are not considered a meal since they do not contain the all-important Japanese rice. Traditionally, the Japanese regarded sake, which is made from rice, as a substitute for white rice served in a standard Japanese meal, and as a result some Japanese do not eat rice and drink alcohol simultaneously.[original research?]
Listed below are some common sakana.
- Yakitori - grilled skewers of chicken and chicken parts
- Kushiage - deep-fried skewers of meat or vegetables
- Sashimi - slices of raw fish
- Tsukemono - pickles
- Kimchi - spicy Korean cabbage
- Sakana especially popular with beer:
- Sakana especially popular with sake:
- Shiokara - fermented, salted squid innards etc.
- Roe
- Uni - Sea urchin roe
- Ikura - Red caviar (ikra)
- Mentaiko - spicy pollock roe
- Tarako - pollock roe
- Sujiko - salted salmon roe
- Small snacks
- Atarime / Ika Ichiya-boshi - Dried squid
- Ei-hire - dried skate
- Seaweed
- Cheese
- Peanuts or other types of nuts (almonds, mixed nuts, etc.)
- Potato chips or fried potato sticks
- Arare - crackers made primarily from rice flour with other ingredients
- Tatami iwashi - small dried sardines pressed into a cracker-like square form
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Notes
- ^ The Japanese noun tsumami meaning "something to nibble/eat with a drink", which is beautified by adding an honorific prefix o and becoming otsumami.;[1] this term usually applies to smaller dishes. Before Edo period, fish in general was called uo.[2]
References
- ^ Martin Collick; David P.Dutcher; Tanabe Munekazu; Kaneko Minoru, eds. (2002). "おつまみ". Kenkyusha's New College Japanese-English Dictionary (5 ed.). ISBN 978-4-7674-2058-5.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Kusano Noboru (2003). 語源辞典: 名詞編 [Etymological Dictionary - Nouns] (in Japanese). Tokyo Shuppan. p. 115.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Regional Project Department. "清酒業界の現状と成長戦略 - 「國酒」の未来" [Status of Sake Breweries and Growth Strategy for the Industry - Future for the "National Beverage"] (PDF). Development Bank of Japan Inc. p. 9. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
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