🐟 Odawara Kamaboko (steamed fish paste)
A specialty of Odawara City, it is made by steaming seasoned and well-kneaded fish paste on a wooden board. The main ingredient used is “Guchi”, (a white-fleshed fish). Before the fish is minced, it is cleansed with water several times to remove impurities and oil, resulting in“ kamaboko” with a fine, elastic texture. The characteristic shape of “kamaboko” is a fan-shaped fish paste that protrudes from the board. The origin of “Kamaboko” is very old, and the word "Kamaboko" appears for the first time in extant literature in a Heian-period painting of a festive banquet. In the beginning, “Kamaboko” was made by grinding catfish to paste and baking it with a Bamboo core, similar to chikuwa(fish cake). The name "Kamaboko" came from its resemblance to the “Gama-no-ho” of plant, or to the“Hoko” of ancient spear-shaped weapon. Eventually, Fish Surimi was placed on a wooden board and baked, and by the end of the Edo period, steamed ”Kamaboko” appeared. “Kamaboko” had already been produced in Odawara in the Muromachi period (1333-1573), however it was not until the late Edo period (1603-1868) that they became widely produced in the area. Due to the proximity of Sagami Bay and the good catch of fish, the abundance of mineral-rich water sourced from the Hakone Tanzawa mountains, and the fact that it was an inn town on the Tokaido Road where many people came and went, steamed “Kamaboko”, which was very different from the mainstream grilled kamaboko in the Kansai region and favored by Edo people, became known nationwide as a specialty of Odawara.