What is "okazu"

is a Japanese word meaning a side dish to accompany rice; subsidiary articles of diet. They are cooked and seasoned in such a way as to match well when eaten with rice, and are typically made from fish, meat, vegetable, or tofu. Nearly any food eaten with rice can be considered okazu, though it is distinct from furikake, which is meant specifically to add flavor to the rice itself rather than to be eaten alongside rice. In modern Japanese cuisine, o-kazu can accompany noodles in place of rice.