Food · Fermented foods

Urume-Iwashi (Round Herring)

うるめいわし (Urume-iwashi)

Also known as: Urume-iwashi, Round herring, Big-eyed herring, Etrumeus teres, 潤目鰯, Urume

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At a glance

CategoryFood
Japanese labeling nameうるめいわし
Common Japanese notationsうるめいわし, 潤目鰯, ウルメイワシ
OriginRound herring (Etrumeus teres / Etrumeus sadina); distinct from common sardine (maiwashi) and Japanese pilchard (katakuchi-iwashi); principal domestic regions Kochi (Tosa Bay — premium urume-meshi), Wakayama, Mie, Shizuoka; defining ingredient for **urume-niboshi (premium niboshi dashi stock)** with cleaner, deeper umami than maiwashi-niboshi
Typical functionsUrume-niboshi premium dashi-stock niboshi — deeper umami than maiwashi, Maru-boshi (whole-dried urume) — Tosa Bay specialty, Mezashi (skewered salt-dried) — premium pre-modern preserve, Foodservice high-end soba/udon broth signature
Regulatory status in JapanStandard food labeling. **Origin disclosure required.** Sardine (urume-iwashi) is **JAS-recommended-disclosure allergen.** Premium dashi-stock category.

Urume-iwashi (うるめいわし / 潤目鰯) is the round herring (Etrumeus teres) — distinct from common sardine. Defining ingredient for **premium urume-niboshi dashi-stock** with deeper, cleaner umami than maiwashi-niboshi. Kochi Tosa Bay, Wakayama, Mie producers.

Classification

Tags below link to other ingredients sharing the same attribute, so you can pivot from one ingredient to its peers.

Used in (typical product categories)

Finished-product categories that commonly include this ingredient in Japanese-market formulations.

  • Urume-niboshi B2B dashi-stock raw material (premium soba/udon channel)
  • Maru-boshi retail
  • Mezashi specialty retail

What it is

Etrumeus teres / sadina round herring.

Typical uses in Japanese products

Urume-niboshi premium dashi-stock B2B.

Maru-boshi whole-dried (Tosa specialty).

Mezashi salt-dried preserve.

Foodservice premium soba/udon broth.

For OEM: niboshi B2B raw material, retail dried-fish.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Origin disclosure. **Sardine JAS-recommended-disclosure allergen.**

Regulatory classification in other markets

EU**Fish EU-mandatory allergen.** Niche specialty in Asian-cuisine and dashi channel.
USAFish allergen disclosure. Niche specialty positioning.
ChinaNiche dashi-stock specialty.
KoreaNiche specialty.

Example products

Example finished products will be added after verification.

All brand names and product names referenced anywhere on this site are the property of their respective owners. Example entries are provided for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement.

Related ingredients

References

  1. MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition — うるめいわし

Last updated: 2026-04-28. Ingredient entries are reviewed at least annually against current regulatory listings.

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