Kamaboko

Kamaboko (蒲鉾^?) is a type of cured surimi, a Japanese processed seafood product, in which various white fish are pureed, combined with additives such as MSG, formed into distinctive loaves, and then steamed until fully cooked and firm. The steamed loaves are then sliced and served unheated (or chilled) with various dipping sauces or sliced and included in various hot soups, one-dish meals, or noodle dishes.

Kamaboko is typically sold in semicylindrical loaves. Some kamaboko include artistic patterns, such as the pink spiral on each slice of narutomaki, named after the well-known tidal whirlpool near the Japanese city of Naruto.

The Kamaboko organization of Japan specified November 15 for Kamaboko Day in 1983.

In Hawaii, red-skinned kamaboko is readily available in grocery stores. It is a staple of saimin, a noodle soup popular in the state. Kamaboko is sometimes referred to as fish cake in Hawaii.

In South Korea, kamaboko is called either eomuk (Hangul: 어묵, mixed script: 魚묵) or odeng (오뎅, loan word from the Japanese oden, a Japanese dish that sometimes contains kamaboko).