Hanpen (half piece) - Hanpen

Japanese: はんぺん(半片) - はんぺん

A type of paste product made by boiling fish paste with ingredients such as yam. It is thought to have been named after the crescent shape made using a bowl lid or mold. It is also called "hanpei" and is said to have been derived from it, but in literature the word "hahen" first appeared around the end of the Muromachi period, "hanhen" in the early Edo period, and "hanhei" after the mid-Edo period. At first, like kamaboko, high-quality fish such as conger eel were used, but by the end of the Edo period, crude products with many additives such as rice flour became more common, and the shape also became more angular, according to "Musada Manko."

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

魚のすり身にヤマノイモなどを加えてゆでた練製品の一種。わん(椀)のふたや型を用いて半月形にしたための名と思われる。〈半平（はんぺい）〉ともいい，それから転じた語ともされるが，文献上は室町末期ごろからまず〈はへん(半弁)〉なる語が現れ，江戸前期に〈はんへん〉，中期以後に〈はんへい〉の語が出現する。初めはかまぼこ同様ハモなどの高級魚を用いていたが，江戸末期には米粉などの混ぜ物の多い粗製のものが増え，形も角形が多くなったと《守貞漫稿》は書いている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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