Iwashibushi

Fushi can also be created from one of a number of small types of fish, namely urume iwashi (round herring), ma iwashi (pilchard), and katakuchi iwashi (anchovy). The main domestic fishing grounds for all these species are off the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. Interestingly, although the raw ingredients may be the same, these fushi all have a different aroma from another key dashi ingredient, niboshi. Ma iwashi has a distinct aroma, but results in a dashi with a light and rounded aroma. Urume iwashi tends to have a lower fat content than the other two, and therefore has a purer taste, yet yields a characterful dashi. Finally, shavings from dried katakuchi iwashi produce a stock that has a yellowish tint and is light in flavour. Each of these three different types of fushi are most likely to be encountered in udon noodle restaurants west of the Kansai area of japan.