Kombu orKonbu (fromJapanese:昆布,romanized: konbu or kombu) is ediblekelp mostly from the familyLaminariaceae and is widely eaten inEast Asia.[1] It may also be referred to asdasima (Korean:다시마) orhaidai (simplified Chinese:海带;traditional Chinese:海帶;pinyin:Hǎidài).
Kelp features in the diets of many civilizations, including Chinese and Icelandic; however, the largest consumers of kelp are the Japanese, who have incorporated kelp and seaweed into their diets for over 1,500 years.[2]
There are about eighteen edible species in Laminariaceae and most of them, but not all, are called kombu. Confusingly, species of Laminariaceae have multiple names inbiology and infisheries science. In the following list, fisheries science synonyms are in parentheses, and Japanese names follow them.[citation needed]
Kombu is aloanword fromJapanese.
In Old Japanese, edible seaweed was generically called "me" (cf.wakame,arame) andkanji such as "軍布",[3] 海藻[4] or "和布"[5] were applied to transcribe the word. Especially, kombu was calledhirome (fromhiroi, wide) orebisume (fromebisu).[6] Sometime later the nameskonfu andkofu appeared respectively in two editions of Iroha Jiruishō in 12th–13th century.[7]
Various theories have been claimed for the origin of the name kombu, with the following two predominant today.[citation needed]
One is that it originated from theon'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading) of the Chinese name 昆布 (kūnbù).[8] The kanji itself already could be seen inShōsōin Monjo (8th century) andShoku Nihongi (797) in Japan, and furthermore trace back in China, as early as 3rd century, to the bookWupu Bencao (around 239).[9]Li Shizhen wrote the following in hisBencao Gangmu (1596):
Come to think about it, Wupu Bencao says "綸布 (gūanbù), alias 昆布 (kūnbù)." Then, what is mentioned in theErya as "(what is pronounced) 綸 resembles 綸. This is in theEast China Sea" kūnbù. The pronunciation of 綸 is 関 (gūan), meaning cord made by green thread, and got corrupted to 昆 (kūn).
— Li Shizhen,Bencao Gangmu[10]
Another possibility to explain the association arises because descriptions of kūnbù in Chinese documents are vague and inconsistent, and it is impossible to identify to which seaweed the term might have applied. For instance, Chen Cangqi (681–757) noted: "kūnbù is produced in theSouth China Sea; its leaf is like a hand and the size is the same as asilver grass and areed, is of red purple; the thin part of leaf is seaweed",[10] which is similar to wakame, arame, kurome, or kajime (Ecklonia cava). The difficulty is that, at least in that time, kombu was not produced either in the East nor in the South China Sea. Moreover, following Zhang Yxi, Li Shizhen classified kūnbù and haidai (stands for kombu in Chinese) as different things,[10] and this classification continues in China today.[11]
Although archaeological evidence of seaweed is hard to find because of its easy decomposition, some plant remains of wakame seaweed are found in some ruins of theJōmon Period[12] which leads to the supposition that kombu was also eaten at that time. As to surviving documents, the letters 軍布 (in Sino-Japanese reading 軍 is gun/kun; 布 is fu/pu/bu) appeared in Man'yōshū and wood strips from Fujiwara-kyō, and may have indicated kombu. TheShoku Nihongi (797) reports: in 797Suga no Komahiru [ja] ofEmishi (Ainu or Tohoku region people) stated they had been offering up kombu, which grew there, as tribute to theYamato court every year without fail. TheEngishiki (927) also reports that kombu had been offered up byMutsu.[citation needed]
During theMuromachi period, a newly developed drying technique allowed kombu to be stored for more than a few days, and it became an important export from the Tohoku area.[citation needed] By theEdo period, as Hokkaidō was colonized and shipment routes were organized, the use ofkombu became widespread throughout Japan. TraditionalOkinawan cuisine relies heavily onkombu as a part of the diet; this practice began in the Edo period. Okinawa uses morekombu per household than any other prefecture. In the 20th century, a way to cultivate kombu was discovered and it became cheap and readily available.[13]
In 1867, the word "kombu" first appeared in an English-language publication—A Japanese and English Dictionary byJames Curtis Hepburn.
Umami, abasic taste, was first scientifically identified in 1908 byKikunae Ikeda through his experimentation withkombu.[14][15] He found thatglutamic acid was responsible for the palatability of thedashi broth created fromkombu, and was a distinct sensation from sweet, sour, bitter, and salty tastes.[16] Ikeda named the newly-discovered tasteumami (うま味), from the Japanese wordumai (うまい, "delicious").[17]
Since the 1960s, driedkombu has been exported from Japan to many countries. It was available initially at Asian, and especially Japanese, food shops and restaurants, and can be found in supermarkets, health-food stores, and other nonspecializing suppliers.[citation needed]
Kombu is sold dried (dashi konbu) or pickled in vinegar (su konbu) or as a dried shred (oboro konbu,tororo konbu orshiraga konbu). It may also be eaten fresh insashimi.
Kombu is used extensively inJapanese cuisines as one of the three main ingredients needed to makedashi, a soup stock.Konbu dashi is made by putting either whole dried or powdered kombu in cold water and heating it to near-boiling. The softened kombu is commonly eaten after cooking or is sliced and used to maketsukudani, a dish that is simmered in soy sauce andmirin.
Kombu may be pickled with sweet-and-sour flavoring, cut into small strips about 5 or 6 cm long and 2 cm wide. These are often eaten as a snack withgreen tea. It is often included when cooking beans, putatively to add nutrients and improve their digestibility.
Konbu-cha orkobu-cha (昆布茶) is a tea made by infusing kombu in hot water. What Americans callkombucha is called "kōcha kinoko" in Japan.[18]
Kombu is also used to prepare a seasoning for rice to be made intosushi.
Kombu is a good source ofglutamic acid, an amino acid responsible forumami (the Japanese word used for abasic taste identified in 1908). Several foodstuffs in addition tokombu provide glutamic acid orglutamates.
Kombu contains extremely high levels ofiodine. While this element is essential for normal growth and development, the levels in kombu can cause overdoses; it has been blamed for thyroid problems after drinking large amounts of soy milk in whichkombu was an additive.[19]
It is also a source ofdietary fiber. Algae including kombu also contain entire families of obscure enzymes that break down complex sugars that are normally indigestible to the human gut (thus gas-causing).[20] It also contains the well-studiedalpha-galactosidase andbeta-galactosidase enzymes.[21]
Genetically manipulatedE. coli bacteria can digestkombu intoethanol, making it a possible maritimebiofuel source.[22][23]
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