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Dashi (??, ??) is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cooking
Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of Shogun rule....
. Shizuo Tsuji wrote in 1980 that "many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la japonaise and lack the authentic flavor." Dashi forms the base for miso soup
Miso soup

is a traditional Japanese cuisine soup consisting of a Stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Although the suspension of miso paste into dashi is the only characteristic that actually defines miso soup, many other ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference....
s, clear broth soups, Japanese noodle
Noodle

A noodle is food made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid. Depending upon the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking....
 broths, and many Japanese simmering liquids.

The most common form of dashi is a simple broth
Broth

Broth is a liquid in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmering. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce....
 or stock made by boiling kombu
Kombu

Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , are edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
 (edible kelp
Kelp

Kelp are large seaweed plants , belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genus. Some species can be very long and form kelp forests....
) and kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi
Katsuobushi

is the Japanese language name for a preparation of dried, Fermentation , and smoked skipjack tuna . Katsuobushi and kombu are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups and sauces in Japanese cuisine....
) and then, straining the resultant liquid.

Fresh dashi made from dried kelp and katsuobushi is rare today, even in Japan.






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Dashi (??, ??) is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cooking
Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of Shogun rule....
. Shizuo Tsuji wrote in 1980 that "many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la japonaise and lack the authentic flavor." Dashi forms the base for miso soup
Miso soup

is a traditional Japanese cuisine soup consisting of a Stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Although the suspension of miso paste into dashi is the only characteristic that actually defines miso soup, many other ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference....
s, clear broth soups, Japanese noodle
Noodle

A noodle is food made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid. Depending upon the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking....
 broths, and many Japanese simmering liquids.

The most common form of dashi is a simple broth
Broth

Broth is a liquid in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmering. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce....
 or stock made by boiling kombu
Kombu

Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , are edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
 (edible kelp
Kelp

Kelp are large seaweed plants , belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genus. Some species can be very long and form kelp forests....
) and kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi
Katsuobushi

is the Japanese language name for a preparation of dried, Fermentation , and smoked skipjack tuna . Katsuobushi and kombu are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups and sauces in Japanese cuisine....
) and then, straining the resultant liquid.

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

Other kinds of dashi stock are made by soaking kelp, niboshi
Niboshi

Niboshi are Japanese dried baby sardines . They are one of many varieties of small dried fish used throughout Asia in snacks and as seasoning for soup stocks and other foods....
, 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.


In 1908, the unusual and strong flavor of kelp dashi was identified by Kikunae Ikeda
Kikunae Ikeda

Kikunae Ikeda was a Japanese chemist, Tokyo Imperial University professor in Chemistry who, in 1908, uncovered the chemical root behind a taste he named umami....
 as umami
Umami

is one of the five Taste#Basic taste sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human tongue. Umami is a loanword from Japanese language meaning roughly "delicious flavor", although "brothy", "meaty", or "savory" have been proposed as alternate translations....
, the "fifth flavor," attributed to unique human taste receptors responding to glutamic acid
Glutamic acid

Glutamic acid is one of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids and its codons are GAA and GAG. It is a non-essential amino acid. The carboxylate anions and salt of glutamic acid are known as glutamates....
.