Ika no Sugata Fry : A classic Japanese squid cracker
Summer is nearly upon us. It’s the perfect season for chilled beer. When drinking beer, we Japanese usually prepare “Otsumami (おつまみ)“, the finger foods and nibbles that are eaten along with alcoholic drinks like beer.
If I give you typical examples of unique Japanese Otsumami snacks, what come to mind right away are the 3 representative types of Japanese dried squid snacks, “Surume (するめ)”, “Noshi-ika (のしイカ)”, and “Saki-ika (さきイカ)”.
In addition to these, actually there is one more Japanese squid snack that shouldn’t be forgotten when we talk about Otsumami.
Ika no Sugata Fry (いかの姿フライ)
It is Ika no Sugata Fry (いかの姿フライ) (Amazon.com) that we Japanese commonly have as an accompaniment for beer and other alcoholic drinks, together with Surume, Noshi-ika, and Saki-ika.
The Japanese snack, Ika no Sugata Fry is a classic deep-fried squid cracker that has been widely loved by Japanese people for a long time. The product I picked up this time contained a bunch of Ika Sugata Fry snacks in the package, so it was a kind of value pack.
The Japanese snack name, “Ika no Sugata Fry (いかの姿フライ)” is loosely translated in English as “fried squid snacks with a whole shape of squid”. You can see that from the above photo.
The ingredients
As for the ingredients of this “Ika Fry (イカフライ)” snack, the Japanese squid cracker is made mainly with wheat flour, squid, bread crumbs, starch, fish paste, vegetable proteins including soybeans, and eggs, and it is flavored with salt, sugar, sweeteners, and spices.
Thus, this Japanese squid cracker has a little salty, gentle sweet flavor as a whole, and these snacks are crunchy in texture and not oily at all. Ika no Sugata Fry is similar in flavor and texture to the Ikaten snack known as a specialty food of Hiroshima Prefecture.
In Conclusion
Not only does Ika no Sugata Fry go perfectly with chilled beer, but the Japanese squid cracker can also be used as an ingredient in various foods.
For example, small broken pieces of Ika Sugata Fry snacks and Yakisoba noodles are the food combination I highly recommend. Besides, bits of the squid cracker can also be used in salads as a substitute for croutons.
Ika no Sugata Fry snacks are available at Japanese supermarkets and some online shopping sites, so If you are interested and get a chance, why not give it a try and enjoy chilled beer with it?
The classic Japanese squid cracker, Ika no Sugata Fry (いかの姿フライ) is worth a try if you are a snack lover, because it is really yummy!
