Namba-yaki fish cakes

Namba-yaki are the main specialty of fish cake in Tanabe.
Fish cakes are usually steamed, but Namba-yaki fish cakes are grilled to create a distinctive texture.
It is said to have been developed as one method for preserving fish in the Edo period (1603-1868). As the fish meat is broken down, ground into paste, and grilled, locals also call it yakikuzushi (meaning broken up and grilled) or just kuzushi.
They are mostly made of lizardfish and white croaker. They are square-shaped and characterized by a rounded top with a baking mold mark in the center and a distinctive flavor.

Burdock root rolls

Another specialty of Tanabe alongside Namba-yaki fish cakes. The sweet and spicy sauce is the perfect match for the burdock root flavor and the aromatic taste of the minced fish and fish skin.
Burdock root that is boiled until soft is set in cakes of minced fish and hand-wrapped with layers of lizardfish and white croaker skins. They are also turned over by hand one by one so that the surface browns nicely and does not burn. Burdock root rolls that are almost entirely made by hand marinated in each shop’s secret sauce to finish.
Each shop has a different flavor, so you can find your favorite.

Council members that sell Namba-yaki fish cakes