Vegetables of the Sea
Old Friend Kombu:
Kombu is the most-used ingredient in Ryukyu cuisine. Pork dishes are impossible to find without it. Okinawa consumes more Kombu than any place else in Japan. Yet it is a type of seaweed that does not naturally grow in Okinawan waters. Kombu consumed in Okinawa comes entirely from far away Hokkaido. In the Ryukyu Kingdom era, it was a trade good. Okinawan middlemen bought it in mainland Japan and re-exported it to China. In the process, it became an ingredient used in Okinawa as well.
Also, Kombu has been used in Japan since ancient times as a good luck charm.
 Okinawans use the long variety of Kombu, also known as vegetable Kombu. This variety is more tender than others. Unlike mainland Japan, where Kombu is used to make soup stock, Okinawans use it as a direct ingredient in various dishes and also eat it as is. Kombu has virtually no calories and is rich in iron, calcium and iodine. It is also an excellent source of natural fiber. Combining it with pork and other animal products provides well-balanced dishes. Mingling the flavor of Kombu with the flavor of pork produces a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The taste of each is enhanced and the dish becomes all the more delicious.
Recently it has been found that Kombu moderates blood pressure and works to prevent heart attack and stroke. It also has anti-cancer effects.
At long last, the dietary wisdom of pre-scientific societies is finally attracting the admiration it deserves.
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