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The Essence of Unagi: Discovering Japan’s Love for Eel
This post is all about unagi, the seafood delicacy that’s so popular that Japanese people reserve a special day for enjoying it. We’ll dive into the freshwaters of Japan and explore the various types of eel dishes, preparation methods, cultural significance, and nutritional benefits. Let’s get started.
Introduction to Unagi
Unagi is a term for the Japanese freshwater eel (Anguilla japonica). This fish is a beloved delicacy in Japan and many other Asian countries. Remember that unagi is not the same as saltwater eel, which is called anago in Japanese.
In Japanese cuisine, unagi is often prepared using the kabayaki cooking style. This method involves cutting, boning, and skewering the fish before dipping it in a soy sauce-based marinade and grilling it into a tasty dish. Restaurants and households enjoy unagi in a variety of traditional and modern dishes. They serve it as a donburi (rice bowl dish), powdered biscuit, and in sushi.
Unagi serves as a cultural meal during the midsummer celebrations known as Ox Day or Doyo no ushi no hi. People travel to places like Tokyo, Narita, and Lake Hamana, which are famous for their unagi specialty dishes and eel farms.
Eating unagi is not only good for your taste buds but also for your health, as the dish contains lots of essential nutrients.
History of Unagi in Japan
Japanese people have been eating unagi since the Jomon period (c. 14,000 - 300 BC). However, it did not become a popular food until the Edo period (1603–1868). At the time, farmers were aggressively cultivating land that was formerly under water. The mass reclamation process led to the creation of the wetlands, and eventually, freshwater eels began to migrate to these lands.
Field workers were among the first to popularize unagi consumption. The nutrients in unagi provided energy and stamina in the hot summer days. Unagi farming began in 1891 at Lake Hamana, Shizuoka Prefecture, and by 1971, new methods for raising large volumes of freshwater eel had been invented.
Unagi in Japan became a popular source of stamina in the summer and a cultural symbol of prosperity, good fortune, and longevity.
The Culinary Significance of Unagi
Live unagi fish are caught in rivers and kept in tanks until they’re ready to be prepared into tasty dishes. The preparation begins with the gutting and cleaning of the fish. Next comes the removal of the heads and tails. After that, the cook fillets the fish by removing the bones and then the skin. These fillets are skewered on thin sticks and grilled over hot charcoal. The entire procedure should result in crispy and juicy unagi with a smoky flavor.
Traditional unagi is often brushed with a sweet and savory sauce known as unagi sauce. This special sauce enhances the flavor of the grilled unagi by adding a lot more depth to its taste.
Unagi Sauce: Recipe and Uses
Unagi sauce has many names, including eel sauce, kabayaki sauce, nitsume, and unagi no tare. While it’s often associated with unagi dishes, you can use it to flavor chicken, sushi, and all kinds of grilled fish.
You can make sweet and savory unagi sauce at home. Simply mix the following ingredients in a sauce pan and place them over medium heat until the mixture thickens:
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soy sauce
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mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
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sugar
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Sake (Japanese rice wine)
Modern Unagi Culinary Traditions
Unagi has transcended the Japanese culinary scene and moved into international kitchens. Hence, grilled eel dishes are served in restaurants and food stalls all over the world. Today, there are various types of unagi dishes that are served either as a standalone meal, grilled meats, or alcoholic beverages. They are a staple in sushi restaurants and izakayas all over the world.
Types of Unagi Dishes
Let’s explore the various traditional and modern dishes that feature unagi.
1. Kabayaki
Although kabayaki is a preparation method, it’s mostly associated with unagi. The entire process involves boning, butterflying, and cutting the fish into pieces before skewering them. There are two main regional variations of kabayaki-style unagi.
For Kanto-style unagi, the fish is fileted, skewered, and grilled at first. Next, it’s steamed and grilled once again. The final step in the procedure requires brushing the food with a sweet unagi sauce.
The second regional variation is Kansai-style unagi. In this version, the eel is butterflied before the grilling begins. It does not involve steaming. Kansai-style unagi is crispier on the outside and softer on the inside than the Kanto-style variant.
2. Unadon
This Japanese delicacy is a dish made of steamed white rice and unagi topping served in a bowl. The eel used for unadon is often prepared kabayaki-style and coated with a sweet soy-based sauce. The Japanese rice bowl is called donburi or don. Together, both dishes combine to form “unadon.”
You can serve unadon with pickled vegetables, miso soup, and kinpira renkon (Japanese lotus root stir-fry). Feel free to drizzle some unagi sauce for more savory flavors or sprinkle Japanese sansho pepper for extra spiciness.
3. Unaju
This dish is identical to the unadon. It consists of steamed white rice and an unagi topping, served in a lacquered box. This fancy box is typically rectangular in shape and comes with a lid. It’s called a jubako and has a history that dates back to the Muromachi period (1333–1573), when it served as a traditional food storage container.
Most restaurants that serve unagi on rice offer customers the option to choose between unadon and unaju. However, unaju is often considered a higher-grade menu item and tends to be more expensive. It may also contain more eel or include smaller side dishes.
4. Unagi sushi
Also called eel sushi or unagi nigiri, this dish is a staple at sushi restaurants all over the world. It is made of grilled and seasoned freshwater eel that is brushed with a sweet soy glaze and bound to sushi rice with a thin strip of nori seaweed.
The sushi rice is made from Japanese short-grain rice prepared sushi-style to create a sticky meal that maintains its shape well. Feel free to use teriyaki sauce for the glaze instead of eel sauce. You can serve unagi sushi with wasabi, scallions, sesame seeds, and pickled ginger. Unakyu is a variant containing sushi, eel, and sliced cucumber.
5. Unagi pie
Eel pie is a relatively modern Japanese confectionary that originated in 1961. It’s basically a sweet cookie made with unagi extract in powdered form. Unagi pie first appeared in Hamamatsu and remains a specialty snack in the city to this day. It’s made by baking biscuits with powdered unagi and coating the cookies with a sweet-savory sauce.
6. Umaki
Umaki is grilled freshwater eel wrapped in an omelet. This protein-rich meal is popular in Japan’s mid-western region, especially Kyoto. It tastes fantastic when served with eel sauce or ginger.
Unagi and Nutrition
Many nutritional benefits come with eating unagi, irrespective of how you serve it. The Japanese eel is highly proteinous, which makes it the perfect meal for improving muscle growth and metabolism. The meal is also rich in vitamins A and E, which boost the immune system, prevent aging, and lower the risk of heart disease.
The presence of omega-3 fatty acids helps to regulate blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels, and promote bone formation. Unagi is also rich in calcium, another essential element for good bone formation. Calcium also aids in the proper functioning of nerves, muscles, and blood vessels.
Sustainability and Ethical Concerns
Although unagi makes for a tasty dish, the reality is that the global freshwater eel population has been on a gradual decline for decades. Many activists have raised concerns about their imminent extinction. A combination of poaching and overfishing caused Japan to declare the Anguilla japonica species endangered. Many restaurants in the country import their eels from China, the United States, and other countries.
Japanese eels are legally cultivated from a wild population. But in some cases, tiny glass eels are caught and raised in captivity, while in others, eel eggs are gathered and incubated. Illegal farm stocks are riddled with diseases and adverse chemical usage. To ensure sustainable eel farming, cultivators need to minimize their impact on nature’s wild eel stocks and improve the survivability of recruited wild eels.
Unagi in Japanese Festivals
Unagi is a popular delicacy at Japanese festivals and holidays, particularly during the Day of the Ox (Doyo no Ushi no Hi). Midsummer Ox Day celebrates the ox symbol in the traditional Japanese calendar. It takes place on specific days in the hottest and most humid period of the year, which is from late July to early August. People eat unagi dishes on Ox Day because of their reputation as a meal for boosting stamina and maintaining strength on hot days.
Best Places to Enjoy Unagi in Japan
There are many restaurants in Japan that serve unagi dishes and snacks. We recommend that you visit the Nihonbashi district in Tokyo for some of the best options in the region, including eateries like Yaesu Hashimoto and Unagi Kappo Oedo.
If you’re looking for Kansai-style, we recommend Kyoto’s Pontocho district. The city is also home to Uran, a popular unagi restaurant in the region. You should also try one of the unagi restaurants in Nagoya, particularly Unafuji.
Conclusion:
The cultural importance and delightful taste of unagi make it a must-try for anyone looking to spend time in Japan. If you can’t make the trip, you can explore the cuisine by cooking unagi dishes at home.
Explore all aspects of Japanese culture through Bokksu Boutique. We offer different kinds of lifestyle and snacking items, many of which make ideal gifts.
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