Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

[torakris]

word for 4/17:

かつお粉末

katsuo funmatsu　(kah-tsu-oh foon-mah-tsu)

This is powdered katsuo bushi, this can also be used the same way as the flakes, sprinkled on top of foods. It can also be used in dashi and I often use it with a strip of konbu for an "instant" dashi.

[torakris]

word for 4/18:

サバ　　鯖

saba

mackeral

[torakris]

There are two varieties of saba caught in Japanese waters

words for 4/19:

マサバ masaba (mah-sah-bah)

this is the fattier of the two and is caught in the colder waters of the North, in some parts of Japan it is referred to as hirasaba.

ゴマサバ gomasaba (goh-mah-sah-bah)

You may remeber from a previous lesson that goma refers to sesame seeds, this is called goma saba because of the the black sesame seed like dots that cover its belly. Goma saba is found in the warmer waters of the South and is milder and less fatty, if you see mackeral sushi fresh, not of the vinegared or salted type) it will most likely be this variety. In some parts of Japan this fish is called marusaba, maru meaing round, because it is rounder in shape than the masaba.

[torakris]

word for 2/20:

there is another kind of saba available in Japan

ノルウェーサバ

noruuee saba (noh-rhue-whe-eh sah-bah)

Translated directly this Norway saba, so saba from Norway, it is called this even when it isn't specifically from Norway just anywhere in the vicinity....

It is occasionally referred to as タイセイヨウマサバ taiseiyou masaba, or Atlantic saba. Importation started over 10 years ago and has increased every year, except for a couple times a year most of the saba in the stores will be Norway saba.

Norway saba is easily noticable because of the dark lines on the upper part of the body.

For pictures of the three types of saba look here:

http://www.zukan-bouz.com/saba/saba.html

masaba

Norway saba

goma saba

[torakris]

phrase for 4/21

サバの生き腐り

saba no iki kusari

This translates roughly as "Although it looks alive, mackeral is spoiled inside" and is said as a reminder to be careful when eating saba that although it may look fresh there is a good chance it isn't. You will rarely see fresh saba sushi, it is normally salted and/or vinegared first. To get it really fresh you need to get to the place it is pulled out of the water. The next couple of days we will discuss the various ways of preparing saba and the ways you will see it sold in the store.

[torakris]

word for 4/22:

〆さば　　〆サバ　〆鯖　しめさば　シメサバ

shimesaba

This is probably the most popular way of serving saba outside of Japan, this is the way you will see it in most sushi bars as it is difficult to get saba fresh enough to serve raw.

Shimesaba is saba that has been salted and then "marinated" in a vinegar mixture, you can do this at home but again the freshness of the saba comes into play and thus it seems more common to purchase it at your local supermarket.

shimesaba (as you would see for sale):

http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/masutomi/img1033601990.gif

[torakris]

word for 4/23:

塩さば　　塩鯖　　シオサバ

shiosaba (she-oh-sah-bah)

These are simply fillet of saba that have been sprinkled with salt to help preserve them, these are very popular for grilling. Since they are already salted there is no need to do anything else to them.

a piece of grilled shiosaba:

http://www.marineplaza.co.jp/shiosaba.jpg

[torakris]

I just realized that when I say the Japanese grill the fish, you may have a different idea than what I am referring too. In Japan most stovetops instead of having an oven attached have a fish grill, this is a pull out drawer which has a grill rack and the fish are placed inside and then "grilled" using the gas from the stove top.

It looks like this:

http://prodb.matsushita.co.jp/product/info...g=04&hb=GT-WS3R

[torakris]

Another popular way of buying saba is to buy it semi-dried, the fish are often salted or seasoned and then left to partly dry. In many seaside towns you will see rack upon rack of these fish air-drying as you drive down the roads.

words for 4/24:

醤油干し

shouyu-boshi (show-you-boe-she)

These have been seasoned with soy sauce, this is one of my favorites:

http://e47.jp/Q/uh/goods.asp?MALL=Q&SHOP=uh&PAGE=1&No=10

みりん干し　

mirin-boshi (me-rheen-boe-she)

these have been seasoned with mirin:

http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/tosa1/img1022258928.jpeg

[torakris]

There was some discussion of dried fish (himono) in the hoshimono thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=20861&st=0

[torakris]

words for 4/25:

let's look at some more ways saba can be dried, these ways are not always just particular to just saba they are drying techniques used for many kinds of fish.

These fish are all salted before drying, they are either soaked in a brine or sprinkled with salt, the length of time in the brine and the amount and type of salt used vary by the type of fish, the type of process and the people making them. here are some of the most popular ones you may run across:

天日干し　tenpiboshi

this means sun-dried, these are the ones you will see on the racks on the side of the road as you drive through coastal towns, they look like this:

http://www.toretate-shonan.com/shopping/himonoheikatu.htm

一夜干し　ichiyaboshi

literally meaning overnight dried fish, these tend to have the shortest drying period.　Often these are seen hanging out at night time to catch the cool sea breeze, grilled ichiyaboshi:

http://www.geocities.co.jp/Foodpia/8684/VG...otos/02saba.jpg

灰干し haiboshi

The character hai refers to ashes and in this case specifically volcanic ash, these fish are wrapped in a special film then a cloth and then covered with volcanic ash (top and bottom) and kept in a temperature controlled room, the time varying on the fish:

http://www.tosen.co.jp/setsumei/setsumei2.htm

文化干し　bunkaboshi

originally this referred to saba that had been dried wrapped in cellophane and sold that way, this was before the use of plastic trays, wrap, etc. Nowadays is tends to refer to a process of being dried in a cold room with many fans, imitating a cold wind for an average of about 14 hours. They are often still sold wrapped in cellophane:

http://www.suzuichi.chikurasan.or.jp/syohin/syouhin%20_5.htm

[Pan]

Does the haiboshi have a sort of smoky taste?

[torakris]

I just report 'em, don't necessarily eat 'em!

I am not sure if I have ever eaten this before, up until recently I always groups all dried fish together not really paying attention to the process with which it was dried.

I see if I can find one and sample it for you!

[prasantrin]

word for 2/22:

デラウエア

derauea (day-rah-ooh-eh-ah)

Delaware grape, this is probably rivaling the kyohou for popularity and is definitely the hands down winner with kids. Named after its supposed place of origin Delaware County, Ohio, it is used mostly for wine making except in Japan where it is regarded as a delicious table grape. The Japanese remove the skin before eating, just pinch the grape in your fingers (these are really tiny grapes) and te skin slides right off, or you can do it like the kids and myself, pop the whole grape into your mouth and then spit out the skin.

The Daiei in my neighbourhood just started carrying these yesterday. They were a bit expensive--Y298 for a tiny bunch--but I'm sick so I splurged. They're cute, so I understand their popularity with children, but they're also pretty tasty. I ate the skins .

[torakris]

Today is the one year anniversary of the Daily Nihongo thread!!

So I am going to take the day off!

On a side note, I have been pestering my husband (who knows nothing about food) about saba for about the past week, actually saba is all I have been talking about and have actually been teaching my neighbors quite a bit. A couple days ago I told my husband that I was thinking about compiling all of the information from this thread into a book in a couple years when I am done, well my husband, who tunes me out when I talk food, was over at his parents house yesterday and told them I was going to write a book about saba!

[torakris]

word for 4/27:

鯖のへしこ

saba no heshiko

This is a speciality of Fukui Prefecture and is saba that has been "pickled" in salt and rice bran often for a year or two. It can be eaten sashimi style, or as a topping with pressed sushi, with ochazuke or any way you feel like if you can get used to the taste.....

More about it with a picture of the whole fish:

http://www.kansai.gr.jp/culture/syoku/umiy.../fukui01_e.html

some nice close-ups of the sashimi slices:

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/tamuraya/565601/648096/

scroll down just a bit for better pictures

[torakris]

word for 4/28:

さばの水煮

saba no mizuni (sah-bah noh me-zoo-knee)

This is one type of canned saba, mizuni simply means water boiled/simmered and this is cooked saba canned in water with just salt. Hiroyuki gives a recipe for majo no furikake (a topping for rice) using saba no mizuni at the end of the furikake thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=16722&st=0

looks like this

[torakris]

word for4/29:

さば照焼

saba teriyaki (sah-bah tay-rhee-yah-key)

This is another saba in a can product, and like the name says it is in a teriyaki sauce. Looks like this

here are some pictures of some more saba in a can products:

http://www.nichiro.co.jp/products/prod01-05.html

[torakris]

I forgot yesterday was a national holiday and I didn't teach you about it!!

So the word for 4/30 is:

緑の日 みどりの日

midori no hi (me-doe-rhee noh hee)

Midori means green and thus this often translated as Green or Greenery Day and it occurs on April 29. Until 1988 it was observed as Emperor Showa's birthday. The name was chosen to commemorate Emperor Showa who was an expert in the fields of biology and botany and was interested in preserving the environment.

[torakris]

word for 5/1:

ゴールデンウィーク

goorudenuiiku (goh-rhue-den-wee-koo)

Golden Week

This is a close to week long holiday that starts on April 29 (Green Day) and runs through May 5 (Boy's Day), here is some more information from Japan-guide.com:

* April 29

Green Day (Midori no hi):

April 29 used to be the birthday of Emperor Showa who died in the year 1989. After his death, the day was changed into a national holiday for environment and nature since the emperor loved nature.

* May 3

Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi):

On this day in 1947, the new post war constitution was put into effect.

* May 4

"Between Day" (Kokumin no kyujitsu):

A recently introduced, national holiday to make the Golden Week a continuous holiday.

* May 5

Children's Day (Kodomo no hi):

The Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) is celebrated on this day. Families pray for the health and future success of their sons by hanging up carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success in life. The Girl's Festival, by the way, is celebrated on March 3.

Curious as to waht the Japanese do during their Golden Week?

Here is a survey:

http://www.japan-guide.com/topic/0005.html

[torakris]

Hope you haven't forgotten about the saba!

word for 5/2:

寒さば　寒サバ

kansaba (kahn-sah-bah)

Kan is the character for cold, more people might be familiar with the other reading for it of samui (寒い). Kansaba refers to saba caught during the cold months normally November to February, this is one of the shun (旬) or seasons for saba and thus one of the best times to eat it.

[torakris]

word for 5/3:

秋さば　　秋サバ

akisaba (ah-key-sah-bah)

Aki means fall or autumn and thus this refers to saba that are caught around September and October. This is another time of the year that saba are at their best.

Saba lay their eggs in the late spring and summer, they eat a lot after laying the eggs and therefore by fall are quite fattened making them quite delicious. The kansaba ("cold" saba) we discussed yesterday are eaten just before laying the eggs and are prized for their fattiness as well.

Both the terms akisaba and kansaba are almost exclusively used to describe saba that are caught in the waters around Japan. You shouldn't see this kind of naming on any of the imported fish.

[torakris]

words for 5/4:

旬さば　　　　　 関さば

tokisaba (toe-key-sah-bah) sekisaba (say-key-sah-bah)

These are what you would call "brand name" saba. They are both of the masaba variety and are both the kansaba ("cold") saba types yet they difference lays in where they are caught.

Tokisaba are caught off the coast of Gotou and Tsushima cities in Nagasaki prefecture, while Sekisaba are caught off the coast of Sagaseki city in Oita Prefecture. In the winter months you will see these names popping up everywhere from sushi bars to packs of shimesaba.

[torakris]

word for 5/5:

こどもの日

kodomo no hi

Children's Day, though it is actually a festival celebrating boys....

Here is the thread on kodomo no hi:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=20512

[torakris]

word for 5/6:

さばの味噌煮

saba no misoni (sah-bah noh me-sew-knee)

This is a type of braised dish of saba and miso. This is one of my kid's favorite dishes, it can be made with whatever kind of miso you like, I normally make a mix of dark (red) miso and a light brown or white, but a week or so ago I made it with mostly white and a little brown and I really enjoyed it. I have also made it Korean style with kochujang mixed with some miso.

Here is a picture:

http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/jizakeya/sak...saba-misoni.htm

You can also buy this product in the canned version, but I would definitely try to eat a freshly made version of this, they are of course completely different!