So you’re not eating anything that’s still alive! While it might look like the bonito flakes are alive and moving, it’s just reacting to the heat coming off the takoyaki. The next time you order takoyaki, don’t freak out. Don’t freak out about about bonito flakes moving At last, the pieces are shaved and shredded into flakes.The whole process is repeated a couple of times. are removed from the bonito pieces before they’re put under the sun for 2-3 days and baked. Next, they’re smoked using oak or cherry blossom. The pieces are set aside to drain excess water.Once the pieces are boiled perfectly, small bones from the flesh are removed using special tweezers (small tongs).Attaining the right boiling temperature and time takes years of experience. The boiling time can differ depending on the quality, size, and freshness of the bonito fish. The pieces are boiled for 1.5-2.5 hours at 75-98° C. The boiling basket is placed into hot boiling water.If the pieces aren’t boiled perfectly, your bonito flakes get ruined. Each piece will be placed in a way that they get boiled the best way. They’re arranged properly inside the boiling basket. Once the pieces are cut, fushi is placed into a basket.In other dishes, the fish flakes serve as a simple topping. It is a major component of dashi broth, which is also used to make a great many Japanese dishes. In Japan, you can purchase the dried bonito in chunks and bring it home to shave into flakes yourself as needed. “Fushi” is a term for the dried bonito piece. Katsuobushi is an extremely versatile seasoning packed with lots of umami. From each fish, 4 pieces of “fushi” are made. Fresh bonito fish is cleaned and cut into 3 pieces: left side, right side, and the spine.The bonito fish is grated into thin flakes. The flakes are made using dried bonito fish. So they move in the direction of least resistance. The hot and steamy food makes the flakes absorb moisture. Since bonito flakes are used as toppings, they’re only introduced to the food after it is cooked.īonito is often added to these furikake seasoning mixes to add a bit of crunch and saltiness to Japanese dishes. They move just because of their light and thin structure. We can assure you that bonito flakes aren’t alive. It can be an odd sight at first for many foodies trying Japanese cuisine with bonito flakes as toppings. Moreover, they’re also used as toppings on okonomiyaki, which is another Japanese delicacy.īonito flakes may seem strange to those who haven’t seen or tasted them before. How are bonito flakes made?īonito flakes are one of the primary toppings in takoyaki. So, you will see the bonito flakes moving continuously in different directions on top of the food until they are completely soaked in moisture. This is because the shreds differ in thickness that makes for different moisture uptake. When these finely shredded flakes of fish meat come in contact with hot steamy food, the layers of the shreds start rehydrating in different directions and that too at different rates. The thing is, bonito flakes are nothing but thinly shaved shreds of dehydrated fish.

Bonito flake