Help! Dried Fish Flakes in English.

[Sylvia Lo]

I bought this (photo attached) pack of dried fish flakes when I travelled to Japan. I wish to know what this is called in English but the packaging is all in Japanese which I do not read at all. Can anyone help in this, please? Thank you in advance.

 

[Mike Cash]

That's dried shaved bonito. You know...we can read Japanese, so a picture more clearly showing the label would have been more helpful than a picture of the fish shavings.

 

[Toritoribe]

Katsuobushi - Wikipedia

The site of the shop says that it's a soft type so you can also eat it on its own with mayonnaise, as furikake with soy sauce, etc. other than an ingredient of fish stock.
【楽天市場】鰹 やわらか厚削り 150g （鰹工房 鰹節 かつお節 かつおぶし 厚削り だし ダシ 食べる鰹節）05P05Nov16：削り節屋 裕次郎

 

[Sylvia Lo]

Thanks a lot Mike and Tori! I really appreciate that. That is good information for the purpose! The label photo is attached.

 

[Sylvia Lo]

Is Katsuobushi a general term for all types of Dried Shaved Fish? I checked wiki earlier but it says Katsuobushi is Bonito Flakes. I know Bonito Flakes as photo attached. This one I bought is of a different type.

 

[Toritoribe]

Indeed katuobushi refers to dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna, as in the wiki page I linked in my previous post. Since katsuo means skipjack tuna/bonito, other terms are used for other fishes, such like sababushi for blue mackerel, ajibushi for jack mackerel or iwashibushi for Japanese anchovy. Furthermore, wood-type block ones are also called katsuobushi. The one you bought is atsukezuri, i.e., thickly-shaved version of katsuobushi.

 

[Sylvia Lo]

Indeed katuobushi refers to dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna, as in the wiki page I linked in my previous post. Since katsuo means skipjack tuna/bonito, other terms are used for other fishes, such like sababushi for blue mackerel, ajibushi for jack mackerel or iwashibushi for Japanese anchovy. Furthermore, wood-type block ones are also called katsuobushi. The one you bought is atsukezuri, i.e., thickly-shaved version of katsuobushi.

Thank you so much, Toritoribe! That was awesome explanation!