Tracing the History and Secrets of Dashi in Kyoto
Dashi broth is the base of many Japanese meals. The preparation sounds surprisingly simple as infusing one of the two essential ingredients- katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) or kombu (kelp) or both in water before it boils. Yet, simplicity is just the best presenting us with maximum umami.
So, how? To find out the history and secrets of the science of cooking, I found myself in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. Dashi is the key to Kyo Cuisine, the traditional Japanese food culture.
Uneno is a dashi specialty in Kyoto that boasts 121 years of history in the field, walking national and international visitors through the essence of dashi. The tour contributes to promoting dashi in home cooking all around the world.
So, my storyteller is Mayako KAJI, the chief specialist at the headquarters of Uneno. She begins by explaining the procedures of how katsuobushi is made with a video. Bonitos, sourced from a fish market, are cleaned, boiled (the soup stock produced in this process is seasoned and later used as dashi for instant noodle soup), and deboned before being smoked and dried on racks. At this point, dried bonitos have been hardened like wooden sticks. Some bonitos are then repeatedly sprayed with mold and sun-dried. The process takes six months to a year, depending on the type of dried bonito.
Uneno takes pride in using the finest ingredients without artificial additives such as flavor enhancers. Their broth thus comes with a subtle taste. Some might find it a little too plain to load up flavor-boosting condiments, but Uneno has a different take on this.
“We are convinced that the best dashi has a mild taste. Dashi helps to stand out the fragrance of miso and other food ingredients. It shouldn’t get the limelight.” stresses Kaji.
Although dashi tastes subtle, there are, in fact, variations. In a taste session, Kaji served me two sorts of dashi, one made from katsuobushi with mold (honkare bushi) and the other made from katsuobushi without (arabushi). Dashi made from arabushi with dark meat (chiai) comes with a stronger flavor and a slightly fishy taste. She adds that arabushi is the ideal helper for home cooking. Dashi made from honkarebushi without dark meat, on the other hand, is for upmarket because of its lighter taste. It is perfect for clear soup. Kombu dashi in general tastes lighter and hence it is suitable as a base for porridge and sweet miso soup with rice cake, a classic Kyoto dish.
Next, Kaji shared with me the secrets behind great dashi. The recipe is easy yet requires patience and precision. First, I soak Rishiri dried kombu in water for 6-8 hours. When the kombu is softened, turn on the heat and allow it to gently simmer until the temperature reaches 60°C. This helps to clear any unpleasant flavor so the dashi tastes greater. At this point, the kombu is removed and the heat is turned up again. Shortly before the water boils, add shredded dried bonito, turn off the heat, leave it for about a minute, and scoop the flakes out. A small amount of salt and light soy sauce is added to the faintly blown-tinted soup. And, the basis is ready! A beaten egg, mixed with kudzu (Japanese arrowroot), is slowly added into the pot, a little by a little with stirring. This culminates with the best gyokusui, an egg soup. The light fragrance of kombu and the mild fish flavor are the essence of the favor.
As a Japanese, I know the dashi recipe varies in different regions. In the Kanto area (East Japan) katsuobushi is the major ingredient while in Kansai (West Japan), rishiri kombu. But…why is there such a difference?
During the Edo Period (1603-1868), 90% of all local kombu in Japan was harvested in Hokkaido. It was then shipped to Kyoto and Osaka via the Sea of Japan. The marine transport route that traverses the Pacific Ocean requires navigation in rough sea areas. With the maritime technology at that time, the voyage was so dangerous that only a few ships could reach East Japan successfully.
“That’s one reason why the kombu dashi culture was established in West Japan”, explains Setsuko Tamino, a dashi sommelier and guide at the Kyoto Food Culture Museum: Ajiwaikan. Merchants who dealt with kombu were concentrated in Osaka, and a large amount of kelp was consumed in West Japan. Therefore, high-quality kombu rarely reaches the east. Another major difference between Kanto and Kansai is the mineral content in water. Water with a higher mineral content makes the extraction of umami from kombu difficult. Compared to Kanto, the water in Kansai has a lower mineral content. Rishiri kombu is a hard variant in particular. “Soft water in Kyoto is more compatible,” she remarks.
Umami was under the international spotlight when it was recognized as one of the basic five tastes in the 1990s. The ingredients of dashi are recognized sources of umami; glutamic acids are found in kombu, while inosinic acid is present in katsuobushi, so is in dried sardines. According to Tamino, these ingredients should be used together, not on their own to make a tasty dashi. Combining different kinds of umami would generate a significant synergic effect.
“When you make, say, pot-au-feu, I recommend using kombu and meat like chicken, instead of instant stock cubes of consomme. This is so especially when you don’t want consomme to overpower other flavors,” Tamino states.
“The combination of the natural umami from the meat and kombu will further boost umami. If tomatoes and onions, which contain glutamic acids, go in, you can yield both a synergic effect and an additive effect.
That’s the science of cooking,” she rejoices.
About Uneno
Founded in 1903. The headquarters are located near the Nishioji Station (5 minutes to walk). Uneno also exports its dashi products through its vendor Japanese Pantry. The workshop and factory tour (with tailored contents) comes at JPY 30,000 per head. Uneno accommodates requests including miso soup cooking instructions and even academic lectures. It is open to international visitors. The package tour includes an interpreter. For more details, visit
For inquiry/reservation, click on the link below.
