148 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



accomplished, the plants are taken indoors and prepared for shipment. The stem is 

 cut off, and at the same time the basal end of the frond is neatly trimmed. Plants 

 of the same size and quality are tied together into long flat bundles of rather uni- 

 form size, and these bundles are sent by water to the koinbu manufacturers. 



KOMBU PREPARATIONS. 



The forms in which kombu is made ready for consumption number a dozen or 

 more, and illustrate the ingenuity of the Japanese in providing a varied regimen 

 from a single article. Some of the preparations are not pleasing to the taste of 



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Forms of hooks used in gathering kelp in Hokkaido. 



the average foreigner, hut others are highly palatable and ought to prove very 

 acceptable to Americans and Europeans. 



Shredded or sliced {Jcizami) or green-dyed (ao) Tcomhu.- — This is one of the most 

 important preparations of kombu, being largely consumed at home and also exten- 

 sively exported. The steps in the manufacture are as follows: 



(1) The dried kelp, as received in bundles from the Hokkaido fishermen, is 

 immersed in large, covered, stationary iron kettles or vats containing a strong solu- 

 tion of a dye in fresh water. A wood tire is kept under the kettles, and the solu- 

 tion is maintained at a boiling temperature, the kelp being left therein for fifteen 

 to twenty minutes and stirred from time to time. The dyeing imparts a uniform 

 color to the prepared product as placed on the market, and thus serves the same 

 purpose as the dyeing of canned French peas. Formerly a copper salt (carbonate or 



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