煮干し

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 煮干し is read as にぼし and is a noun for small fish that have been boiled and dried, commonly rendered as dried sardines.
• Basic usage: Making stock appears in 煮干しでだしを取る, while a packaged ingredient appears in 煮干しの袋.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Stock ingredient
  • Rather than fish in general, it commonly refers to a dried ingredient used to make savory stock for dishes such as miso soup.
• Difference from だし
  • 煮干し is an ingredient used to make stock, while だし is the stock or savory flavor extracted from such ingredients.