In this day and age, it should go without saying that for some people, Japanese cuisine is better than most things in life, including sex. If you want to spice up your bowl of steaming hot plain white rice (literally), Japan has an incredibly diverse and delicious range of seasonings, or furikake (振り掛け; lit. “to sprinkle”) at your disposal.
Furikake is a type of granular dry seasoning that usually consists of seaweed flakes, dried fish, and sesame seeds. It’s sprinkled over rice, vegetables, fish, and also used as stuffing in onigiri, or Japanese rice balls. But as a recent survey shows, furikake is an extremely versatile topping for just about any food, from pasta to — of all things — pineapple.
To decide once and for all the most popular furikake of 2021, lifestyle media company kufura surveyed 500 people ranging from 20 to 50 years of age about their favorite furikake topping and recommended food pairing. So, without further ado, here are the top 5 popular furikake toppings.
5) Shiso (しそ) and Wasabi (山葵)
Both shiso and wasabi tied for 5th place with 33 votes each. Shiso is crushed red perilla or beefplant leaves, with a strong flavor reminiscent of its cousins, basil and mint. It’s also commonly mixed with salt to create yukari, a trademark purplish-red seasoning by the Mishima Food Company.
Respondent Recommendation: “Mixing shiso with canned mackerel and rice is utter perfection.”
Wasabi, aka Japanese horseradish, is considerably more zesty. While not overwhelming in spiciness as pure wasabi powder or paste, wasabi furikake can still add a little fiery punch to most any meal.
Respondent Recommendation: “Adding it to buttered toast gives it a distinctly Japanese flavor that’s surprisingly delicious.”
4) Okaka (おかか)
Coming in 4th place with 40 votes is Okaka. Okaka consists of soy sauce-doused flakes called katsuobushi, which is skipjack tuna that’s been dried, fermented, and smoked. Okaka is also another popular onigiri filling.
Respondent Recommendation: “Adding this instead of dashi [soup stock] to miso soup adds more richness to the flavor.”
3) Mentai (明太)
In 3rd place with 47 votes is Mentai, commonly called Mentaiko, a cod roe seasoning spice with finely chopped red chili pepper. This isn’t to be confused with Tarako furikake; while they’re both parts of the same fish family, Tarako is plainer in flavor, lacking the zestiness of Mentaiko’s red chili flavor.
Respondent Recommendation: “I mix this with food like pasta and tamagoyaki.”
2) Sake (鮭)
Claiming second place with 65 votes is sake furikake. No, this isn’t the alcoholic sake we’re talking about here, but the gilled sake or shake, AKA salmon. According to Rakuten, sake furikake is one of the more popular fish-based seasonings for babies.
Respondent Recommendation: “I use it when cooking mashed potatoes.”
1) Noritama (のりたま)
The classic Noritama — a mashup of nori (dried seaweed) and tamago (egg) — claimed 1st place with a whopping 165 votes. The company Marumiya started selling Noritama in 1960 and quickly claimed a niche in a largely fish-dominated furikake market. Its versatility and trademark flavor have made this a best-seller for decades, and there’s no sign of it dropping out of public favor anytime soon.
Respondent Recommendation: “I tried eating pineapple with noritama because I saw it in a drama, and it was unexpectedly tasty.”
Now, for the furikake aficionados out there, what’s your favorite furikake to cook with? Sound off below in the comments!
