Chikuwa

Chikuwa is a Japanese product made with salt, sugar, egg whites, starch, and seasoned, ground meat of fishes such as shark, pollock, or flying fish. The ground meat paste is placed around a bamboo stick, and it is then grilled or steamed. The stick gets removed later, leaving a hollow interior. Chikuwa is regularly consumed on its own as a snack, when it is customary to dip it in soy sauce. It can also be sliced and used as an ingredient in stews and Japanese curries. The name of the product means bamboo stick, referring to the key component in its production. Due to its low price and the fact that it is rich in protein and low in fat, chikuwa is a very popular product in Japan, so much that some people even give it to their dogs as a treat.