Furikake is a dry Japanese seasoning meant to be sprinkled on top of cooked
rice, vegetables, and fish. It typically consists of a mixture of dried and
ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium
glutamate. Other flavorful ingredients such as katsuobushi, or okaka,
freeze-dried salmon particles, shiso, egg, powdered miso, vegetables, etc.,
are often added to the mix. Furikake is often brightly colored and
flaky. It can have a slight fish or seafood flavoring, and is sometimes
spicy. It can be used in Japanese cooking for pickling foods and for rice
balls. Since 2003, furikake has increasingly gained acceptance in the US
as a seasoning for baked or fried fish, raw fish salads and snack foods such as
furikake party mix. Outside Japan, furikake can be found in
most Asian groceries or in the ethnic food aisle of some major supermarkets.
History One account of the origin of furikake is
that it was developed during the Taisho period by a pharmacist residing in
Kumamoto prefecture named Suekichi Yoshimaru. To address calcium deficits
in the Japanese population at the time, Yoshimaru developed a mixture of ground
fish bones with roast sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and seaweed that was made
into a powder. He called this product Gohan No Tomo and is generally
considered the precursor to contemporary furikake. A food company in Kumamato
later acquired the product and was able to sell it commercially. It was
initially sold in a flask-like container shaped with a narrow neck to prevent
moisture from seeping into the product. Years after Yoshimari's Gohan No Tomo, a
grocery retailer in Fukushima City named Seiichirō Kai developed a different
mixture consisting of white croaker and powdered kombu and other ingredients
simmered with a soy sauce-based broth. Kai called this product Kore Wa Umai,
and was popular on its release. Although Kore Wa Umai was initially considered a
luxury item only available to the affluent who were able to consume white
rice on a regular basis, it later was made accessible to the Japanese working
class. Availability of furikake in Japan
increased starting shortly after September 1948 when Nissin Foods began
to manufacture it on a large scale to address pervasive malnourishment. The
product was commercialized on the basis that it provided a good source of both
protein and calcium. Furikake was also made widely available as it was
dispensed to those serving in the Japanese military starting in World War
I. The term furikake was used generically
to describe the product starting in 1959 with the formation of the National
Furikake Association. Since 1959, different furikake products are usually
differentiated by their particular ingredients, such as in salmon furikake
and sesame & salt furikake. See also
Gomashio—a type of furikake mostly consisting of cooked black sesame seeds
and sea salt crystals. Shichimi
Ochazuke—like furikake, ochazuke is a seasoning mix sprinkled over rice, but
brewed green tea is poured over the rice after adding the ochazuke.
Chutney －Indian condiments. Dry powdered chutney is eaten in similar way.
References ^ Japanese Furikake. Japanese Kitchen.
Accessed 28 October 2009. ^ Mouritsen, Ole G.. Sushi food for the
eye, the body & the soul. New York: Springer. p. 113. ISBN 1441906185.
^ a b Ambrose, Amber. "Random Ingredient of the Week: Furikake". Houston Press.
Retrieved 22 November 2015. ^ Baked furikake salmon. Fujita & Miura
Public Relations. Accessed 24 March 2012.
^ Furikake salmon poki. Food Network.com. Accessed 24 March 2012.
^ Furikake party mix recipe. Feeding My Ohana. Accessed 24 March 2012.
^ a b Ishizaki, Nobuo. "Innovative flavors put furikake back in spotlight".
The Japan News. Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
^ a b c d e "Introducing furikake: making rice even tastier!". The Japan
Australia News. March 2013. p. 13. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
^ Solt, George. The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan
Spawned a Global Food Craze. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 96.
ISBN 0520958373.