There are about eighteen edible species in Laminariaceae and most of them, but not all, are called kombu. … See more

Kombu is a loanword from Japanese.
In Old Japanese, edible seaweed was generically called "me" (cf. wakame, arame) and kanji such as "軍布", 海藻 or "和布" were applied to transcribe the word. Especially, kombu wa… See more

The Erya (3rd–2nd century BC) noted that "Qūan resembles 綸 (lace, cord or rope). This is in the East China Sea." The Wupu Bencao (3rd century) mentions it as "Gūanbù, alias kūnbù". Tao Hongjing (456–536) … See more

Kombu is sold dried (dashi konbu) or pickled in vinegar (su konbu) or as a dried shred (oboro konbu, tororo konbu or shiraga konbu). It may also be eaten fresh in sashimi.
Kombu is u… See more

Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid, an amino acid responsible for umami (the Japanese word used for a basic taste identified in 1908). Several foodstuffs in addition to kombu provide glutamic acid or glutamates… See more

Genetically manipulated E. coli bacteria can digest kombu into ethanol, making it a possible maritime biofuel source. See more