The origin of today’s featured food is Edo, now Tokyo, Japan, during the Edo Period (1603-1868). Tsukudani is a preserved foodstuff that can be made from small seafood like shrimp, meat or seaweed. It is boiled in soy sauce and mirin, and preserved by high osmotic pressure (Tsukuda Syokuhin Co. 2015). It is eaten as soy sauce based condiment for rice.

Just prior to 1603 during the Sengoku era, Osaka fishermen shared their preserved small fish foodstuffs with the fleeing Tokugawa army, the leader of whom was Ieyasu Tokugawa, the future commander of the Edo Shogunate. Preserved fish  was the first form of Tsukudani. When the Shogun Ieyasu came to power, he allowed the fishermen of Osaka to live in Edo, his capital and gave them special rights to supply food to Edo Castle. Tsukudani therefore became associated with the elite and became a high-end food (Tsukuda Syokuhin Co. 2015).

Tsukudani evolved to become a method that included simmering ingredients with soy sauce and mirin. Seaweed versions can be made with kombu or wakame seaweed. Tsukudani is a unique part of traditional Japanese food culture because it was developed through daily life in Japan. Tsukudani should be included in any conversation about traditional Japanese food (Tsukuda Syokuhin Co. 2015).

I had the privilege of trying authentic Tsukudani with my friend Joshua. He made me an authentic Japanese meal at his home! He spent many years in Japan and is an expert on Japanese language and culture. During the Edo period, Tsukudani became established as a high-end delicacy and gained a reputation as a prized souvenir to take home. I had the privilege of trying Tsukudani brought from Tokyo by one of Joshua’s friends. Just like in the Edo period, we were the recipients of a Tsukudani souvenir!

This particular type of Tsukudani was made of kombu kelp. Very shiny and deep brown in colour, it glistened on the plate. It smelled richly of soy, and had a complex smell giving an indication of the taste to come. It was sticky to the touch, and the strands of kelp were held together in a jelly-paste concentrate. The sound as we took it out of the package is what I would describe as squidgy.

The overarching taste of Tsukudani is a deep rich soy flavour with plenty of umami. In this particular Tsukudani product, there is a tangy acidity beneath the heavy umami overtones. Shitake flavour is the fourth ingredient listed, a strong umami flavour in itself. The nature of umami is that it contains other basic tastes. Tsukudani is deeply umami in flavour, however is also carries plenty of salt, sour and sweetness from the mirin inside of its profile. Texture of the kelp is similar to pasta ‘al dente’ texture still has a little bit of bite. The kelp is tender but not mushy or stringy. It has a pleasant mouthfeel, with slightly slimy characteristics due to the cooking and preservation methods (not unpleasant though!).

A unique characteristic of Tsukudani is its concentrated flavour. It’s used as a flavouring topping with steamed rice to distribute the intense flavour. The typical ratio is one tablespoon of tsukidani per one bowl of rice. Eating tsukudani by itself is a powerful flavour experience, with massive amounts of flavour depth and concentration. I greatly enjoyed the intensity of it and ate most of my share without any rice!

From this experience, I learned my palate has a high tolerance for intense flavours and an appreciation of depth. There is nothing subtle about Tsukudani, and that’s an aspect I found enjoyable. Tsukudani is simplistic in form and ingredients while bearing massive amounts of depth of flavour. The concentrated soy flavour is a carrier of layers of other, more subtle flavours, making for a complex eating experience. In other words, Tsukudani is a sophisticated food, a testament to its origins as food for royalty during the Edo period. I would gladly eat Tsukudani again, and would love to try the seafood versions. I love the deep soy flavour it offers in its compact form.

The paradox of Tsukudani is complexity in a simplistic form. Eating Tsukudani has heightened  my appreciation for complex and concentrated flavours. From this experience I will continue to seek out complexity and simplicity together in my cooking, because I believe that is a major component of sophisticated food.

References

“Japanese Traditional Food: Tsukudani” Tsukuda Syokuhin Co,.Ltd 2015 http://www.tukudani.co.jp/en/ Accessed 24 Feb 2019.

“The Great Wave off Kanagawa”, after Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849) circa.  1829-1832. Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa.jpg. Accessed 24 Feb 2019.

“Tokugawa Ieyasu, first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate” Kano Tan’yu, Early Edo period. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tokugawa_Ieyasu2.JPG.Accessed 24 Feb 2019.