kombu

Kombu
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Chromalveolata
Division:	Heterokontophyta
Class:	Phaeophyceae
Order:	Laminariales
Family:	Laminariaceae
Genus:	Saccharina
Species:	S. japonica
Binomial name
Saccharina japonica Areschoug

Kombu or konbu (Japanese: 昆布, pronounced [koꜜmbɯ]), also called dashima (Korean: 다시마 dasima) or haidai (simplified Chinese: 海带; traditional Chinese: 海帶; pinyin: Hǎidài), is edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia.^[1]

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. Most kombu is derived from the species Saccharina japonica (Laminaria japonica),^[1] extensively cultivated on ropes in the seas of China, Japan, and Korea.^[2]

History

The earliest written record of kombu appeared in Shoku Nihongi in 797 as a gift and tax from the Tōhoku Region. Its use is believed to have begun much earlier, probably dating back to the Jōmon period, but as it easily decomposes no archaeological evidence can be found. During the Muromachi period a newly developed drying technique allowed kombu to be stored for more than a few days, and kombu became an important export from the Tohoku area^{[citation needed]}. By the Edo period, as Hokkaidō was colonized and shipment routes were organized, the use of kombu became widespread throughout Japan. Traditional Okinawan cuisine relies heavily on kombu as a part of the diet; this practice began in the Edo period. Okinawa uses more kombu per household than any other prefecture. In the 20th century a way to cultivate kombu was discovered and kombu became cheap and readily available.

In 1867 the word "kombu" first appeared in an English-language publication - "A Japanese and English Dictionary," by James Curtis Hepburn.

From the 1960s dried kombu has been imported from Japan into many countries. It was available initially at Asian, and Japanese in particular, food shops and restaurants, and has later been sold by supermarkets, health-food stores, and other non-specialised suppliers.

Cooking

A dish of tsukudani made from kombu

Kombu is used extensively in Japanese cuisines as one of the three main ingredients needed to make dashi, a soup stock. Kombu is sold dried ('dashi kombu') or pickled in vinegar ('su kombu') or as a dried shred ('Oboro kombu' or 'Shiraga 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 in cold water is brought to a boil as the very first step of making dashi and the softened kombu is commonly eaten after cooking. It can also be sliced and used to make tsukudani, a dish that is simmered in soy sauce and mirin.

Kombu may be pickled with sweet and sour flavoring and is cut into small strips 5 or 6 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide. These are often eaten as a snack with green tea.

It is often included when cooking beans, putatively to add nutrients and improve their digestibility.

Kombucha 昆布茶 "seaweed tea" is a beverage brewed from dried and powdered kombu, sometimes confused with the unrelated English word Kombucha "a fermentated and sweetened tea".

Umami

Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid, an amino acid responsible for umami, the Japanese word used for one of the five basic tastes in addition to salt, sweet, sour, and bitter, discovered in 1908.

Several foodstuffs in addition to kombu provide glutamic acid or glutamates. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), produced by fermentation of carbohydrates, is often used as a food additive and flavor enhancer.

Kombu contains iodine, a mineral that is essential for normal growth and development. It is also a source of dietary fiber.

Prominent species

(Japanese name followed by species)

• Marafuto kombu, Laminaria saccharina contains mannitol and considered sweeter
• Ma-kombu, Saccharina japonica
• Mitsuishi-kombu or dashi-kombu, Laminaria angustata commonly used in the making of dashi
• Naga-kombu, Laminaria longissima
• Rishiri-kombu, Laminaria ochotensis commonly used for soup stock

Nutrition

• Kombu contains iodine. An iodine deficiency can slow body growth and development.
• Kombu contains dietary fiber, which helps in digestion.
• potassium 6100 mg
• calcium 710 mg
• iron 3.9 mg
• carotene 1100μg
• vitaminB1 0.48 mg
• vitaminB2 0.37 mg
• dietary fiber 27.1g
• energy 145kcal (per 100gram)

Health

• promote of the thyroid gland hormone (maintain and regulate the secretion of thyroxin hormone)
• blood pressure is lowered
• effect for intestinal disorders
• cholesterol is lowered
• prevent a sudden rise of the blood sugar level

See also

• Gim (food)

References

Notes

External links

• Kombu seaweed encyclopedia