B-class classics
Satsuma Age
- 46Kagoshima
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- 46Kagoshima
Dish log

A fish-paste product called "tsukeage" in Kagoshima, made by mixing ground fish with tofu and local sake and deep-frying it.
Dish profile
About this dish
- Main ingredients
- ground fish paste (horse mackerel/mackerel/flying fish etc.), momen (firm) tofu, local sake (akumochi-zake), sugar, sweet potato starch
- History and origin
- One theory holds that in the Edo period Shimazu Nariakira, head of the Satsuma Domain, took Kishu hanpen and kamaboko as models and made it a fried food so that it would keep even in the hot, humid climate; another holds that the Ryukyuan fried fish cake "chikiagi" was corrupted in pronunciation into "tsukeage."
- When it is eaten
- It is commonly eaten year-round regardless of season, as a side dish or a snack with drinks, and is also used as an ingredient in stir-fried vegetables and tamagotoji (egg-bound dishes).
- How it is eaten
- A hallmark of Kagoshima is making it sweet by adding sugar; it is shaped into sticks, squares, koban (oval) shapes, and so on, and fried until golden. Vegetables such as carrot, burdock, and lotus root are sometimes mixed in.
Sources
- つけあげ 鹿児島県 | うちの郷土料理:農林水産省 · Ministry of Agriculture · Source checked 2026-10-12
Recipes vary by region and household. This is not ingredient, allergy, or dietary guidance for a specific restaurant.
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- VegetarianClues to confirm: meat or seafood
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- HalalClues to confirm: alcohol
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- Gluten-freeNo direct clue found (this does not mean suitable)
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- PorkPork: no direct clue found (absence is not confirmed)
- Alcohol (mirin / sake)Alcohol (mirin / sake): clue found in dish information
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