Konbu

Konbu (also spelled kombu in the West) is the Japanese name for kelp, a large brown alga [Saccharina japonica (syn. Laminaria japonica)]. Sold as thick, leathery strips dusted with a natural chalky-white bloom. Its main job is dashi, the fundamental stock behind miso soup and a vast range of applications in the cuisine. A strip of konbu is steeped in barely simmering water (never fully boiled) with a handful of bonito flakes. So much glutamate is packed in the kelp that a single piece can deepen an entire pot.