Hiroko has been telling me about this very strong smelling fermented, smoked fish that she loves. She bought some and it has been sitting in the fridge, unopened for a while. She was afraid I would hate the smell so didn't want to open it. I'm pretty used to the strong smells of some Japanese foods such as natto, and other Japanese pickles so I wasn't particularly concerned.
Today she opened it...
Well, I must admit that the smell is extremely unique. In fact, once tasted, the smell/taste is a mingling of the fermented fish as well as that very unique other ... "Fragrance". In fact it is such a strong smell and so well known that even though I have never physically tasted what it smells like, the smell leads one to believe that one is actually tasting that from which this unique odour emanates.
Anyone who has ever done gardening, or visited a farm will be quite familiar with this fragrance, though I highly doubt that any of you have actually ever tasted it other than through the transfer of the odour from your nose to your mouth.
What on earth could this dried, smoked, fermented fish actually smell and taste like, you ask?
...
...
...
Cow manure.
I had to try it two more times to be sure my mind wasn't deceiving me.
Nope.
It definitely smells and tastes like cow manure.
And like I said earlier, I have never tasted cow manure, but the odour of this fish transfers quite easily to the mouth and one is most definitely left with the sense that one has just consumed fish that was dried and preserved in cow manure.
I love Japan!
