Kombu is the omnipresent seaweed in Japanese cuisine, particularly visible in miso soups, but… invisible too, since it is used to make the famous dashi, the broth that forms the basis of many soups and fondues!
In short, there’s no Japanese cuisine without kombu seaweed.
So what about shiro-tororo kombu? First of all, we need to talk about what tororo kombu is: it’s kombu seaweed that has been grated into flakes to be used essentially as a garnish for food. We sprinkle it on fondues, noodles and salads (or put it in omelettes!) to add a touch of the sea and to gorge ourselves on fibre and potassium.
The kuro-tororo (black tororo) comes from the outside of the seaweed, while the more delicate-tasting shiro-tororo (white tororo) comes from the inside of the seaweed.
About Okui Kaiseido
Founded in 1870 in the town of Tsuruga by a deposed samurai, the Okui Kaiseido shop takes advantage of its geographical location: Tsuruga is the port of call for the boats carrying kombu from Hokkaido to Kyoto, making it a strategic point for the supply of kombu seaweed. For more than 150 years, the shop has preserved its traditional manual production methods and the selection criteria that earned it the prestigious licence to supply the imperial family (goyotashi).
