Kezuriki

{{short description|Japanese kitchen utensil}}

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Image:Katsuobushi kezuriki.jpg

A {{nihongo||鰹節削り器; かつおぶしけずりき|katsuobushi kezuriki}} is a traditional Japanese kitchen utensil, similar to a wood plane or mandoline. It is used to shave {{transliteration|ja|katsuobushi}}, dried blocks of skipjack tuna ({{transliteration|ja|katsuo}}).{{Cite journal |last=Albala |first=Ken |date=2019-11-01 |title=A Katsuobushi Story: Preserving Fish and Preserving Tradition |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica/article/19/4/42/109174/A-Katsuobushi-Story-Preserving-Fish-and-Preserving |journal=Gastronomica |language=en |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=42–48 |doi=10.1525/gfc.2019.19.4.42 |s2cid=210462092 |issn=1529-3262}}

The technique used to prepare the cooking ingredient is pulling and pushing a block of {{transliteration|ja|katsuobushi}} across the blade in the device in a back-and-forth movement. The resulting shavings are captured in a wooden drawer at the bottom of the instrument, and retrieved by opening and emptying the shavings that are roughly sorted into two sizes for different uses.

The shavings are a staple of Japanese cuisine.{{Cite book |last=Hachisu |first=Nancy Singleton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FUKBik7ONf8C&dq=%22Kezuriki%22&pg=PR5 |title=Japanese Farm Food |date=2012-09-04 |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |isbn=978-1-4494-1829-8 |language=en}} Larger, thicker shavings, called {{nihongo||削り鰹; けずりかつお|kezurikatsuo}}, are boiled with {{transliteration|ja|kombu}} to make {{transliteration|ja|dashi}}. Smaller, thinner shavings, called {{nihongo||花鰹; はなかつお|hanakatsuo}}, are used as a flavoring and as a topping for many Japanese dishes, such as {{transliteration|ja|okonomiyaki}}.

Today, many Japanese households no longer use the {{transliteration|ja|katsuobushi kezuriki}}, opting instead to buy packages of already-shaved {{transliteration|ja|hanakatsuo}} or {{transliteration|ja|kezurikikatsuo}} at supermarkets.