chikuwa; tube-shaped fish paste cake
A Japanese food made from fish paste shaped into a hollow tube and steamed or grilled. Common in oden, stir-fries, and as a snack.
Let's put chikuwa in the oden.
ちくわの磯辺揚げが好きです。
I like chikuwa tempura with seaweed.
tube-shaped wheat gluten cake
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 竹輪 is also used but less common.
Kanji spelling; less common than kana but still encountered.
The name ちくわ (竹輪) literally means 'bamboo ring', from the traditional method of wrapping fish paste around a bamboo stick before steaming or grilling.