昆布 / Kombu kelp

昆布是一整年當中都會使用的固定食材。是日本料理不可獲缺的。主要用於熬煮高湯或用作食材以砂糖和醬油來熬煮成佃煮。因為昆布只能在海水溫度低的海域生長所以日本的昆布9成以上都是北海道產的。雖然北海道幾乎所有的海域都能採到昆布，然而根據地域不同種類也不同。有利尻昆布、羅臼昆布、長昆布、日高昆布、真昆布、細目昆布等。

Kombu kelp is a typical, integral ingredient in Japanese cuisine used throughout the year. For the purpose of making the soup stock called dashi, or for the purpose of using it as is for dishes, kombu fulfils an important role within Japanese cuisine. A typical use of konbu is in Tsukudani, which is a tiny side-dish to eat with rice. As kombu grows in cold sea water, more than 90 percent of konbu found throughout Japan is from Hokkaido. Kombu can be found growing naturally almost anywhere on the coast, but at some places it is farmed. There are several species; Rishiri Kombu, Rausu Kombu, Hidaka Kombu, Ma Kombu, and Hosome Kombu among others. Some use the growing region's name.