Kaneninishi Bonito Flakes (Hanakatsuo) 本枯節鰹魚柴魚乾削片

本枯節 花かつお  (鹿児島県山川産)

Bonito flakes dance atop a wide array of Japanese dishes, where they enhance the smoky, salty flavor of umami. Home cooks rely on katsuobushi to make dashi, a staple fish broth. Chefs and street vendors also top off popular dishes like okonomiyaki (a kind of savory pancake) and takoyaki (octopus-stuffed fried dough balls) with bonito flakes, and add them to the center of onigiri (stuffed rice balls). Home cooks rely on katsuobushi to make dashi, a staple fish broth.

Each pile of bonito flakes begins with a smoked and dried tuna.  Japanese manufacturers coat the tuna in a special type of mold and leave it in the sun to age for several months (or sometimes years).  Then they take the dried, hardened fish and start shaving.

日本人喜歡將鰹魚片放上章魚燒，更會配合昆布來做高湯，也可以放入味噌湯中或配搭涼拌豆腐。這款鹿兒島出產的「本枯節」鰹魚片鮮味十足，所謂「枯節」，是將新鮮捕撈後的鰹魚立即急速冷凍，之後再以90度高溫水煮令魚肉凝固，再進行烘乾、反覆日曬及發酵等程序，令黴菌完全吸收鰹魚的水份、分解魚肉的脂肪。

『荒節』的柴魚的製造過程就是，煮熟後焙乾，水分在25%以下。

『本枯節』就是柴魚菌上的次數更多，大概是4~5回，熟成時間也因此更久，這樣得出來的柴魚品質，水分最少，味道最為純粹。