🐟 Arumado (Egg in Fish-cake)

"Arumado" is a local specialty from the Hirado area, which served as a key point for overseas trade until the early Edo period. It is a molded dish containing boiled eggs, and its distinctive feature is the pink color outlining the cut section, achieved by using food coloring. While primarily associated with Hirado, a similar molded dish is known as "Arimado" in Sasebo, with just a slight difference in spelling. In Nagasaki, it is called "Ryugan," named after the dragon-like appearance of the cut section. Each of these has become a local specialty in its respective region. The Western-style name "Arumado" is said to derive from the Dutch word "Almatoore" (to wrap) or the Portuguese word "Arumado" (to arm oneself). In Sasebo, there is a local belief that it was named "Arimado" by a missionary named Arimado, who supposedly devised it as a nutritious food.