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Katsuobushi

Block or shavings of dried fermented skipjack tuna.

Katsuobushi — illustrative ingredient image

About Katsuobushi

Katsuobushi consists of dried, fermented, and traditionally smoked skipjack tuna, sold either as a solid block or as thin shavings. It is used to add concentrated savoury flavour to broths, sauces, rice dishes, noodles, and other Japanese preparations. The shavings are often steeped briefly and removed or used as a topping.

It has a pronounced savoury, smoky, and fish-like character, commonly described as deeply umami. A block is hard, dense, and dry; shavings are light, crisp, and papery. Contact with hot liquid softens the shavings and extracts their flavour, while dry shavings remain delicate.

The block is dark brown to reddish-brown outside and is shaved into fine curls or flakes. Ready-made shavings may be fine or broad, pale tan to brown, and sold in packets. Shaving, steeping, simmering, or scattering changes its texture and use without changing the ingredient.

Ingredient type
derived ingredient

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Where katsuobushi appears

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Food connections are still being added.

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Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for katsuobushi

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Katsuobushi

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Katsuobushi nutrition & diet

Katsuobushi nutritional value

Fish, skipjack tuna, processed products, "Katsuo-bushi" (boiled, smoke-dried and fermented skipjack tuna fillet) — MEXT 10091

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the explicitly named reference form.

Calories
332kcal
Protein
77.1g
Carbs
0.8g
Fat
2.9g

Per 100 g edible portion. Values use MEXT 2023 with March 2026 corrections; the English food name is matched by food code from the official English edition. Carbohydrate is total carbohydrate by difference. Values in parentheses in the source are estimates reported by MEXT. This reference does not cover other preparations or brands.

Portions & preparation

Confirm that the product is dried, fermented skipjack tuna and specify block, flakes, or powder, since the edible portion and culinary use differ. A small garnish differs from broth made by steeping and straining. Record soy sauce, salt, sugar, or other seasonings added to the preparation.

Compare the right form: Reference must match dried fermented skipjack tuna, distinguishing block, shavings, flakes, powder, and broth made by steeping or straining.

Diet considerations

Katsuobushi is animal-origin fish and is unsuitable for vegan or vegetarian patterns. It may be used with soy sauce, dashi ingredients, or prepared seasonings; brand and recipe details matter for added animal products, cereal ingredients, and coatings. Plain flakes contain no cereal accompaniment, while noodle or rice dishes change carbohydrate patterns.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2023 supplement, corrected March 2026 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .