Daily Nihongo (2005 - )

[torakris]

3/31:

a couple other ways to prepare funa include 昆布巻き　(kombu maki) in which they are wrapped in kombu (kelp) and simmered in a soy based sauce and 甘露煮　(kanroni) like we discused for carp, another slow simmered, soy based dish.

funa no kombu maki

funa no kanroni

[torakris]

4/1:

ナマズ　　なまず　　鯰

namazu

Japanese catfish

also known as Chinese catfish and Far eastern catfish

namazu

WARNING!!

Do not attempt to swim in lakes that have Japanese catfish, they are vicious predators and consider human flesh a delicacy. Many people have not survived the attacks.

[torakris]

WARNING!!

Do not attempt to swim in lakes that have Japanese catfish, they are vicious predators and consider human flesh a delicacy. Many people have not survived the attacks.

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APRIL FOOLS!!!!

[torakris]

4/2:

マナズの寿司

namazu no sushi

ナマズの薄造り

namazu no usutsukuri (sashimi)

[torakris]

4/3:

ナマズの蒲焼

namazu no kabayaki

Kabayaki is the style that unagi (eel) is most often prepared, but it works well on namazu as well. The fillets are skewered then grilled and brushed with a soy based tare (sauce).

a full pictorial on how to prepare namazu kabayaki

[torakris]

4/4:

two deep-fried versions

ナマズ天ぷら

namazu tempura

ナマズフライ

namazu furai (fried namazu)

[torakris]

4/5:

ポッキー

pokkii (poe-key)

known in English as Pocky and it is the theme of the foodblog I am doing this week.

[torakris]

4/6:

ニギス

nigisu　(knee-ghee-sue)

deepsea (deep sea) smelt

nigisu

[torakris]

4/7:

ニギスの天ぷら

nigisu no tempura

[torakris]

I'm back!

4/12:

ニギスの塩焼き

nigisu no shioyaki

salted and grilled nigisu

nigisu no shioyaki

[torakris]

4/14:

one of my favorites!

鮎　あゆ　アユ

ayu

referred to as sweetfish in English

ayu

[torakris]

4/15:

Ayu are very popular fish in Japan and can be found in abundance in the summer. Ayu fihing is also a very popular summer activity though it is a little bit different than the fishing you may be used to.

Ayu fishing

[torakris]

4/16:

うかい

ukai

Ukai, or cormorant fishing, is a traditional method of river fishing that has been practiced in Japan for some 1300 years. This method involves fishermen using cormorant birds on leashes to catch sweetfish (such as the Ayu). Ukai is not as widespread as it once was, because it is no longer an economically viable form of fishing. However it has managed to preserve its traditions and is increasingly popular with tourists.

more information and pictures here

[torakris]

4/18:

塩焼き

shio yaki

Salt grilled, this is probably the most popular preparation for ayu and for a good reason, it is wonderful!

Hiroyuki recently posted a picture of some shio yaki ayu he made

and this is how they are eaten, right off the skewer

[torakris]

4/19:

鮎寿司　鮎ずし　( and about a 100 other ways to write it )

ayuzushi

fernmented ayu sushi, is is also a popular eki-ben, or boxed lunch bento from a train station.

ayuzushi eki-ben

[torakris]

well I learned a new word yesterday.

骨折

kossetsu

This means to fracture, as in a bone, more specifically my foot....

I will be online erratically for the next couple days and then I will be at the computer all day long for the next 2 to 3 months since the cast will limit my mobility....

we will continue Daily Nihongo at that time.

[JasonTrue]

I should settle this once and for all...

Ayu (鮎) and masu （鱒) are both often translated as "trout." However, nobody I know is 100% certain of the difference, although they know there is one.

Consensus so far seems to be that "ayu" is freshwater trout and "masu" is ocean trout... something like steelhead might be an example.

Is this a reasonable assessment?

I once created 当て字 for my last name, which comes from Scottish and means "trout's valley". I didn't quite know the difference at first, so I wrote 鱒谷. But I eventually thought maybe 鮎谷 might be more accurate... not a lot of ocean trout in the average Scottish valley, I would guess. But Ayutani doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Masutani; 増谷 or 益谷 (masutani) are perfectly reasonable family names in Japanese, whereas あゆたに doesn't have any other typical conversions.

Of course, fish names in general are challenging. What we know of as trout in the US vs. the understanding in Scotland might be different, and then the additional regional differences in Japan might add another layer of ambiguity.

4/15:

Ayu are very popular fish in Japan and can be found in abundance in the summer. Ayu fihing is also a very popular summer activity though it is a little bit different than the fishing you may be used to.

Ayu fishing

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[torakris]

Ayu (鮎) and masu （鱒) are both often translated as "trout." However, nobody I know is 100% certain of the difference, although they know there is one.

Consensus so far seems to be that "ayu" is freshwater trout and "masu" is ocean trout... something like steelhead might be an example.

Is this a reasonable assessment?

←

I had never seen ayu translated as trout before...

Doing some searching on the web (both English and Japanese) only comes up with a handful of sites that say that.

If you look at the actual scientific classification they aren't even related.

I had always thought the confusion lay between trout and salmon, as some of the fish referred to as salmon here are called trout in the US, or is it the other way around???

[torakris]

4/30:

鮎巻き

ayu maki

These are whole ayu that are wrapped in kombu (kelp) and then simmered in a soy based sauce.

子持ち鮎巻き

komochi ayumaki

These are ayumaki made with ayu that have their belly swollen with eggs, komochi literally means "with child" I like to call them pregnant fish...

the steps for making ayumaki

thesea re the komochi type

[JasonTrue]

Aha, well I guess I could have taken that route. I rely too much on Jim Breen's web dictionary... it provides a lot of alternative translations without any clarification of usage or context or nuance, or, apparently, scientific names of animals. I think I saw the same information on one other source so I stayed confused.

Dictionaries also notoriously poorly translate food, animal and plants. I had this same problem when I was studying German.

I had never seen ayu translated as trout before...

Doing some searching on the web (both English and Japanese)  only comes up with a handful of sites that say that.

If you look at the actual scientific classification they aren't even related.

I had always thought the confusion lay between trout and salmon, as some of the fish referred to as salmon here are called trout in the US, or is it the other way around???

←

Edited April 30, 2005 by JasonTrue (log)

[torakris]

word for 5/1:

鮎せごし　

ayu segoshi

This is a type of sashimi、but a bit different than the one you are used to. With segoshi the bones are left in and the fish is sliced and then placed in some vinegar to soften the bones . It can be served with soy sauce, sumiso (vinegared miso) or as a sunomono (vinegared dish).

segoshi

this picture is not of ayu but a similar fish, the ayu pictures were too small...

[torakris]

5/2:

鮎飯　　鮎ご飯

ayu meshi ayu gohan

These are both names for ayu cooked with rice.

ayumeshi

[torakris]

5/3:

鮎田楽

ayu dengaku

Many people may be familiar with tofu or eggplant dengaku as those tend to be very popular, but ayu works beautifully in this dish. Dengaku is simply foods grilled (or baked, broiled or deep fried) with a sweetened miso topping.

ayu dengaku

[torakris]

5/5:

こどもの日

kodomo no hi

"Children's Day" also called boy's day as girls have their own day back on March 3.

we have a whole thread about it

[Evan]

I had always thought the confusion lay between trout and salmon, as some of the fish referred to as salmon here are called trout in the US, or is it the other way around???

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Here is where the confusion begins... In Japan, there's a salmon named Masu (Oncorhynchus masou) which in English is Cherry Salmon.

Steelhead salmon is actually ocean going rainbow trout (niji masu) (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Hope this clears up some confusion.