イクラ

Russian икра́, romanized ikrá, is the source form behind イクラ. Shogakukan's Seisenban Nihon Kokugo Daijiten defines the Japanese word as salted mature eggs of salmon or trout, separated grain by grain from the ovary. Russian dictionaries define икра more broadly as eggs of fish, amphibians, mollusks, and also a prepared food. Digital Daijisen contrasts イクラ with 筋子. The route into Japanese is northern and food-based. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, Karafuto contacts, Hokkaido fisheries, and Russian eating terms are often mentioned in discussions of イクラ. Wiktionary records a first Japanese citation in 1928. Older Japanese had はららご and 筋子 for salmon roe, while the Russian-style form helped name separated red roe in modern food markets. Modern Japanese イクラ usually means salmon roe on sushi, in イクラ丼, or in a small gunkan-maki. Menus often separate いくら from すじこ because the texture and preparation differ. Russian икра includes red caviar, black caviar, and even dishes such as баклажанная икра, an eggplant spread. English caviar often points first to sturgeon roe, while salmon roe is more specific. Example: イクラを注文した means salmon roe, not every kind of roe.