On Food and Cooking

Penicillium), sealed in a box, and allowed to
ferment on their surface for about two weeks.
After a day or two of sun-drying, the mold is
scraped off; this molding process is repeated
three or four times. At the end, after a total of
three to five months, the meat has turned light
brown and dense; when struck, it’s said to
sound like a resonant piece of wood.
Why go to all this trouble? Because it
accumulates a spectrum of flavor molecules
whose breadth is approached only in the finest
cured meats and cheeses. From the fish
muscle itself and its enzymes come lactic acid
and savory amino acids, peptides, and
nucleotides; from the smoking come pungent
phenolic compounds; from the boiling,
smoking, and sun-drying come the roasted,
meaty aromas of nitrogen- and sulfur-
containing carbon rings; and from the mold’s
attack on fish fat come many flowery, fruity,
green notes.
Katsuobushi is to the Japanese tradition