Kombu

5 star rating

April 7, 2008

Jenn A. 364 reviews Send Message | Add to Friends

Why eat kombu?

Kombu is a type of kelp -- a brown seaweed that is cultivated and eaten both raw and cooked. It is sweet tasting (not bitter) and often used to flavor broths, soups and sauces. Kombu is one of the main ingredients in "dashi" - a soup stock often seen in restaurants in the US with "Agedashi Tofu." There are so many health benefits to eating sea vegetables -- they are a much richer source of many nutrients.

Seaweeds in general are a particularly rich source of minerals, trace elements, and other nutrients. Kombu seaweed is rich in protein, calcium, iodine, magnesium, iron and folate. Seaweeds supply chromium (essential for glucose utilization), zinc (for collagen strength and healthy skin), potassium, copper, sulphur, silver, tin, zirconium, phosphorous, and silicon (crucial to skin elasticity), magnesium, manganese, boron, bromides, and other trace minerals necessary for health.

The most important nutrient provided by kelp is iodine. The amount of iodine in sea plants exceeds that found in inland plants by as much as 20,000%. Kelp iodine facilitates the passage of nutrients into the mitochondria (small components of body cells). It also helps to nourish the thyroid gland.

Lower rates of breast cancers have been reported in Japanese women eating a diet high in kelp. Lignans, which help fight cancer are found in high quantity in kelp and may provide protection against certain cancers.

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombu

Jenn A.'s keywords: sea vegetable, seaweed, kelp, nutrients

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4 star rating

April 14, 2007

Abendigo R. 286 reviews Send Message | Add to Friends

Weed veggies from the sea

This is a pretty good brand of Kombu, imported from Japan, where it grows in the ocean in like 30 ft. high forests that are harvested and dried in the sun. If you look closely, you'll notice the white mineral elements on the surface of the seaweed which add a lot of the flavor in soup stocks. You should lightly rinse and dry it but be careful that you don't scrape off the minerals, then simmer it in your stock for 10 to 15 minutes, after which you can remove and toss it, for the flavors have then been extracted. Great in miso or when making beans, as a sweet flavoring agent.

Abendigo R.'s keywords: kombu, seaweed, ocean plant, emerald cove, miso, japanese, vegetable

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