As you all must know, Japan is big eater of raw fish ’sashimi’.
’Bonito’, is a summer fish – a migratory fish that like warm sea and constantly moving in groups. From spring to early summer when the the North Equatorial current intensifies, the young adults ride the Kuroshio Current (Japan Current) from the south and feed to gather food where it meets the Oyashio (Kuryu Current) . The bonito caught at this time of year and caught fresh at fishing ports in Chiba and Tohoku is called the “Hatsugatsuo”. They quite plump, the sashimi is cut into relatively thick pieces and garnished with scallions, shiso leaves, ginger.
’Bonito’, is arguably the crucial basic ingredient-to provide the most common broth (dashi) for Japanese cuisine (Washoku). The bonito is dried rock solid and shaved into bonito flakes which are used to make broth (dashi), a unami-rich soup stock that goes into a majority of Japanese dishes.
