[citation needed] In Japanese, it is called kanikama (カニカマ), a portmanteau of kani ("crab") and kamaboko ("fish cake").

[2] The Japanese company Sugiyo first produced and patented imitation crab flesh in 1974, as kanikama.

[citation needed] In 1977, The Berelson Company of San Francisco, California, US, working with Sugiyo, introduced them internationally.

[3] Most crab sticks today are made from Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) of the North Pacific Ocean.

[5] Crab flavoring is added (natural or more commonly, artificial) and a layer of red food coloring is applied to the outside.