Word: surimi
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...Ersatz Ascendancy. From Japan came salty, rubbery surimi, a processed fish paste that appeared on countless menus under the guise of lobster and crab legs. In the interest of dietary moderation, Americans during the '80s consumed an astonishing variety of re-engineered foods and beverages, including low-cal salad dressings and lite mayonnaise, diet yogurts and calorie-skimping frozen dinners...
Aside from nutritional concerns, critics fret that consumers are being misled. According to a 1985 ruling by the Food and Drug Administration, packaged surimi must be labeled "imitation" unless it has been fortified to be nutritionally equivalent to crab, scallops or whatever. But the regulation is frequently ignored by groceries and fish markets. Patrons of fast-food eateries, delis and restaurants, meanwhile, must look out for themselves. The only state to require that dishes made with imitation seafood be so identified on menus is Maine, where the real thing still remains supreme...
Even as they learn about new cuisines, Americans are busy naturalizing foreign ingredients into native dishes: tofu, the cheeselike soybean curd, as the base for burgers and ice cream; tacos and pita as sandwich holders; chili oils and fruit sauces for barbecues. Surimi, a preserved-fish product developed in Japan a thousand years ago, has been reshaped for the American market to look like shrimp and crab legs. Tempeh, the Oriental fermented soybean cake, is here formed and flavored to simulate bacon and pastrami...
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