Hidden Animal Ingredients in Japanese Food (Dashi, Bonito, Mirin)

Japanese food looks light and plant-forward, but the savory base is usually fish. The culprit is dashi, a stock that turns up in miso soup, sauces and broths. Here is what to watch and what is safe.

Key Takeaways

• The main hidden animal ingredient is dashi made from katsuobushi (dried bonito fish).
• Katsuobushi flakes, fish in soy sauces, egg and gelatin are the other ones to watch.
• Rice, tofu, edamame, mochi and nori are usually vegan-safe.
• Ask “is the dashi fish-based?” and look for shojin ryori (temple food).

TL;DR: The main hidden animal ingredient in Japanese food is dashi made from katsuobushi (dried fish), plus fish in soy-based sauces, egg in many dishes, and gelatin in sweets. Rice, tofu, edamame, mochi and nori are usually vegan-safe.

Dashi: the biggest hidden ingredient

Dashi is the stock behind miso soup, soba/udon broths and many sauces. It comes in two forms:

• Kombu dashi: made from kelp. Vegan.
• Katsuobushi dashi: made from dried bonito (skipjack tuna). Not vegetarian.

Most restaurants use katsuobushi dashi (or a mix), so a bowl of miso soup is usually not vegetarian, even with no visible fish.

Other things to watch

• Katsuobushi (bonito flakes): sprinkled on okonomiyaki, takoyaki and agedashi tofu.
• Tsuyu / soba dipping sauce: soy-based but typically contains katsuobushi.
• Kamaboko / naruto: the white-and-pink fish cake slices in ramen.
• Tamago: the sweet egg omelet; egg also appears in ramen and batters.
• Gelatin: in wagashi (sweets), jellies and some desserts.
• Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) and shirasu (baby sardines): obvious but easy to miss in small dishes.
• Pork/chicken stock: in ramen broths and some curry roux; okonomiyaki can be layered with pork belly.
• Mirin: usually fine (sweet rice wine), but check “mirin-style” products for additives.

Usually vegan-safe

Rice, tofu, edamame, natto, mochi, nori, plain onigiri (check the filling), vegetable tempura (check the batter for egg), and plain soba noodles (check the broth, not the noodle).

The bottom line

Japanese food isn’t automatically vegetarian: the fish-based dashi is in more places than you’d expect. When in doubt, ask “is the dashi fish-based?” (魚のだし?) or check the label.

See our Japanese common-ingredients guide for a fuller list.

Check before you eat. The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). Download on the App Store - Android is coming soon.

Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.

Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Recipes and preparations vary by restaurant, region and cook, so always confirm with the restaurant, brand or vendor.