Sumaki and Chikuwa: Tokushima's Everyday Fish-Paste Snack

Chikuwa, tube-shaped fish paste formed around a stick and cooked, is made all over Japan, but Tokushima's local version, often sold as sumaki, is grilled directly over an open flame on bamboo rather than baked, giving it a smoky, lightly charred edge. You'll find it at markets, festival stalls, and fishmongers, eaten plain or dipped in ginger soy sauce. As a bonus fact, narutomaki — the pink spiral fish cake used as a ramen topping nationwide — is named after the whirlpools off Naruto, Tokushima, a naming link most visitors never realize.

This isn't festival-only food — chikuwa and similar fish cakes are a daily convenience item, stocked in every supermarket and convenience store, cheap enough to be a quick snack or lunchbox filler. In winter it's a common oden ingredient, simmered in dashi alongside daikon and boiled eggs. If you want to try it the local way, look for a freshly grilled version at a market stall rather than the packaged supermarket kind, which is softer and less smoky.