Kombu

Name: Kombu

Other Names: Laminaria japonica, dashima, haldai, konbu

Description: Botanical Name: Laminaria japonica

Kombu or konbu also called dashima, kelp or haidai, are edible kelp from the genus Laminaria widely eaten in East Asia.
Over 90 percent of Japanese kombu is cultivated, and most is harvested, in Hokkaidō. It is cultivated as far south as the Seto Inland Sea.Kombu is used extensively in Japanese cuisines as one of the three main ingredients needed to make dashi, a soup stock. Kombu is usually sold dried or in a dried shred called "Oboro kombu". It may also be eaten fresh as sashimi. Making kombu dashi is simple though kombu dashi powder may also be used. A strip of dried kombu is often boiled from the very first step of making a dish and is commonly eaten after cooking. It is also important in Chinese cuisine and Korean cuisine. Kombu may be pickled with sweet and sour flavoring and are cut into small strips 5 or 6 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide. These are often eaten as a snack with green tea.
Kombu is a rich source of glutamic acid, an amino acid responsible for umami, one of the five basic tastes. Glutamic acid is used in the production of MSG. It is often included when cooking beans, putatively to add nutrients and improve their digestibility.