Rausu

The Rausu is just amazing as a product to use for the kitchen and perhaps one of the most fascinating. It is harvested in eastern Hokkaido off the shores of Rausu on the Shiretoko Peninsula, which is famous. The rausu konbu is mainly used to make dashi because of its rich flavor and strong aroma that produces a rich stock that is  characteristically kombu-colored.

It is soft and easy to chew, if it is sliced into thin strips and can be used to make konbu snacks. Rausu is one of the finest kombu materials and you pay for it. The Konbu in the photo above was approximately US$100.

It is a versatile material and is also commonly processed into kobu-cha, (kombu tea), and su-kombu pickled kombu kelp. http://hiro-shio.blogspot.jp/2012/01/su-kombu-vinegared-kombu.html

Rausu Kombu’s is wide by 20/30cm and approximately 2 meters long, sometimes growing even longer. It is divided by color into black, kurokuchi, dark red akakuchi. This is one of the best raw materials on this planet, and no wonder the underwater sea-life is protected as a United Nations World Heritage site.