Kani Miso: What Part of the Crab is this Seafood? Brains?

Kani Miso (蟹味噌: meaning Crab Miso) is a popular sushi topping looking like miso (fermented soybean seasoning) paste, which is my favorite food.

Every time I go to a conveyor belt sushi bar or Kaiten Sushi (回転寿司), I have the Gunkan Maki (battleship roll) crowned with Kanimiso at least once.

Just as many people like crab meat, we Japanese love the Kani Miso paste for its plenty of natural umami.

But do you know what part of the crab Kanimiso is?

Kani Miso (蟹味噌): Crab Brains? No!

Many people would think of Kani Miso as the brains of the crab, but strictly, this is not true.

The light brown/gray crab miso paste is the mid-gut gland of the crab. In other words, it is an organ with liver and pancreas functions.

In the arthropod (such as crabs and prawns), the organ mid-gut gland plays a significant role in the digestion of food and the storage of nutrients.

To wrap it up, Kanimiso sounds like the same type of food as foie gras and liver, as these delicacies are all internal organs of animals, and each has a unique and addicting taste.

(Reference Page: Wikipedia カニミソ )