''Saccharina japonica'' is a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of the

Phaeophyceae Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate and po ...

(brown algae) class, a type of

kelp Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms. Kelp grows in "underwat ...

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

, which is extensively cultivated on ropes between the seas of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. It has the common name sweet kelp. It is widely eaten in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

. A commercially important species, ''S. japonica'' is also called ''ma-konbu'' () in Japanese, ''dasima'' () in Korean and ''hǎidài'' () in Chinese. Large harvests are produced by rope cultivation which is a simple method of growing seaweeds by attaching them to floating ropes in the ocean. The species has been cultivated in China, Japan, Korea, Russia and France. It is one of the two most consumed

of kelp in China and Japan. ''Saccharina japonica'' is also used for the production of

alginate Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. With metals such as sodium and calcium, its salts are known as alginates. Its colou ...

s, with China producing up to ten thousand tons of the product each year. Consuming excessive ''S. japonica'' suppresses

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

function.

Nomenclature

The species was transferred to ''

Saccharina ''Saccharina'' is a genus of 24 species of Phaeophyceae (brown algae). It is found in the north Atlantic Ocean and the northern Pacific Ocean at depths from 8 m to 30 m (exceptionally to 120 m in the warmer waters of the Mediterran ...

'' in 2006. Three synonyms for this species name are ''Laminaria japonica'' (J. E. Areschoug 1851), its variety ''Laminaria japonica'' var. ''ochotensis'' (Miyabe & Okamura 1936) and ''Laminaria ochotensis'' (Miyabe 1902).

Cultivation

With the development of cultivation technology, though over 90% of Japanese

kombu ''Konbu'' (from ja, 昆布, konbu or kombu) is edible kelp mostly from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia. It may also be referred to as ''dasima'' ( ko, 다시마) or ''haidai'' (). Kelp features in the diets of many ...

is cultivated mostly in

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, production can also be found as far as south of the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...

Culinary use

China

Sliced kelp at Lady Chai, Ganjiakou (20211022125400)

In Chinese cuisine, sliced kelp is a common

hors d'oeuvre An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...

which is often consumed with alcohol.

Korea

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

, ''dasima'' is used to make

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...

, deep-fried into ''

bugak ''Bugak'' () is a variety of vegetarian ''twigim'' (deep-fried dish) in Korean cuisine. It is made by deep frying dried vegetables or seaweed coated with ''chapssal-pul'' (; glutinous rice paste) and then drying them again. It is eaten as '' ...

'' or '' twigak'' (coated and uncoated fries), pickled in soy sauce as ''

jangajji ''Jangajji'' () or pickled vegetables is a type of ''banchan'' (side dish) made by pickling vegetables. * Unlike kimchi, ''jangajji'' is non-fermented vegetables, usually pickled in soy sauce, soybean paste, or chili paste. ''Jangajji'' dishe ...

'', and eaten raw as a sea vegetable for ''

ssam ' (), meaning "wrapped", refers to a dish in Korean cuisine in which, usually, leafy vegetables are used to wrap a piece of meat such as pork or other filling.

'' (wraps). It is also used to make ''

dasima-cha Kelp tea is a traditional East Asian tea made by infusing Saccharina japonica, kelp in hot water. It is called ''kobu-cha'' or ''konbu-cha'' () in Japan, ''haidai-cha'' () in China and ''dasima-cha'' () in Korea. Preparation Korea Either ...

'' (kelp tea). ''

Cheonsa-chae Kelp noodles or cheon sa chae (Korean: 천사채), are semi-transparent noodles made from the jelly-like extract left after steaming edible kelp. They are made without the addition of grain flour or starch. Kelp noodles have a crunchy texture and ...

'' (kelp noodles) is made from the

alginic acid Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. With metals such as sodium and calcium, its salts are known as alginates. Its colou ...

from ''dasima''. One of

Nongshim Nongshim Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean food and beverage company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Nongshim was founded in 1965 under the name Lotte (conglomerate), Lotte Food Industrial Company. The name was changed to Nongshim in 1978. The ...

instant noodle Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is ...

, the Korean original versions of '' Neoguri'', contains one (or rarely more) big piece of dasima in every package. ''Odongtong Myon'',

Ottogi Ottogi Co, Ltd. ( Korean: 주식회사 오뚜기) is a food manufacturing company headquartered in Anyang, South Korea. Ottogi Center is located in Seoul and is listed on the KOSPI 200. History Ottogi was founded in May 1969. Ottogi’s fir ...

's copy of ''Neoguri'', also has big piece of dasima in every package - Ottogi uses 2 dasimas since 2020. Dasima-ssam.jpg, Raw ''dasima'' served as a ''

ssam ' (), meaning "wrapped", refers to a dish in Korean cuisine in which, usually, leafy vegetables are used to wrap a piece of meat such as pork or other filling.

'' vegetable, with

dipping sauce A dip or dipping sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, chopped raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chi ...

s Dried dasima.jpg, Dried ''dasima'' for

Dasima-bugak.jpg, ''Dasima-

'' (deep-fried kelp snack) Cheonsachae.jpg, ''

'' (kelp noodles)

References

Citations

Sources

* Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999), "Kombu", p. 435.
Culture of Kelp (Laminaria japonica) in China
*

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q11260230 Algae of Korea Flora of Eastern Asia Flora of China Laminariaceae Marine biota of Asia Edible seaweeds Japanese condiments Chinese condiments Korean condiments Japanese cuisine terms Umami enhancers