Shaving styles

Along with different ways of preparing the bonito, there are also different types of shavings, for different uses and with different results. For ichiban dashi to be used in clear soups, when a delicate taste and aroma are required, karebushi with no chiai is used, shaved into thin hanakatsuo (‘petal’ shavings). This allows maximum flavour and aroma to be extracted in the shortest possible time. Where a stronger dashi with a more robust flavour and aroma are called for, katsuobushi with the chiai intact is used. With simmered dishes that call for a richer and more intense dashi, created by long simmering, katsuobushi is often shaved more thickly - around 0.7mm - into atsukezuri (thick shavings). Between these two extremes comes an intermediate thickness, called chuatsukezuri, which is generally 0.5 mm thick. Arabushi shavings with chiai are popular as they are used for a wide range of dishes including ichiban dashi, simmered dishes, and miso soups. Katsuobushi can also be made into itokezuri (strands), and konakezuri (powder). Both of which are popularly used in cooking, but can also be used to make dashi. It is best to use shavings on the day they are made as katsuobushi’s aroma is significant in cooking. If it is not possible, the shavings can be stored in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.