Konbu on rice

I had konbu on rice with breakfast this morning.

Hokkaido konbu.

Which is pretty easy to do, since most of the konbu sold in Japan is farmed up north around Hokkaido although the highest per capita consumption of konbu is actually all the way in the south, in Okinawa.

But everybody in Japan eats konbu every day, whether they notice or not. It's one of the basic ingredients of the most common form of dashi, the clear broth that's the basis for nearly every soup and most sauces.

Konbu, as you may or may not know, isn't technically a plant. It's a eukaryote which used to be considered part of the plant kingdom, when I was in school. (That may tell you how old I am.) It's a kind of algae; in other words, seaweed, to use crude English that makes it sound like something nobody would ever eat unless they were starving. But it's good, healthy, and often delicious food, especially when prepared, as here, with shiso and shoyu. (That's perilla and soy sauce.) The package proudly proclaims the origin of the konbu, with an outline map of Hokkaido to make things perfectly clear.

Quite a bit of Japanese food comes from Hokkaido, particularly seaweed, fish, dairy products, potatoes, and wheat. In part that's because Hokkaido is by far the largest prefecture in Japan, with a small population. It also has broad plains, well suited for mechanized agriculture, something that doesn't work well on the typical 1/4 to 3 acre plots of land around here and elsewhere on the other Japanese islands.

But I think it's also partly because food from Hokkaido has a certain cachet. Just as the phrase Swiss Made gives watches a certain character for quality and style, Hokkaido food suggests a connection with the land of bears, the great Sapporo Ice Festival, and hardy farmers. They sell Hokkaido foods at special events at our local Sogo Department Store and sometimes even in the main train train station in Tokushima City.

I suppose, if I were really into it, eating Hokkaido konbu on my rice would make me feel ready for a long walk in the cold mountains. But I think not. I think I'll have another cup of tea. And the tea doesn't come from Hokkaido. It comes from Ceylon. But at least it's "High Grown."