Opened package of dashi

Some common brands of packaged dashi

Dashi (出汁, だし) is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cooking. In 1980, Shizuo Tsuji wrote:

"Many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la japonaise and lack the authentic flavor."^{[citation needed]}

Dashi forms the base for miso soups, clear broth soups, Japanese noodle broths, and many Japanese simmering liquids.

[edit] Types

The most common form of dashi is a simple broth or stock made by boiling kombu (edible kelp) and kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi) and then straining the resultant liquid.

Fresh dashi made from dried kelp and katsuobushi is rare today, even in Japan.^[1] Most people now use granulated or liquid instant substitutes.

Other kinds of dashi stock are made by soaking kelp, niboshi, or shiitake in water for many hours or by heating them in water nearly to boiling and straining the resultant broth.

• Kombu dashi stock is made by soaking kelp, or sea tangle, in water.
• Niboshi dashi stock is made by pinching off the heads and entrails of small dried sardines, to prevent bitterness, and soaking the remains in water.
• Shiitake dashi stock is made by soaking dried shiitake mushrooms in water.

[edit] History

In 1908, the unusual and strong flavor of kelp dashi was identified by Kikunae Ikeda as umami, the "fifth flavor", attributed to unique human taste receptors responding to glutamic acid.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

Food portal

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography

• Hosking, Richard (1995). A Dictionary of Japanese Food. Tuttle. ISBN 0-8048-2042-2. 
• Tsuji, Shizuo (1980). Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art. New York: Kodansha International/USA. ISBN 0870113992. 

[edit] External links

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Dashi

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Cookbook:Dashi