Q. Tell me about Sukombu, these are oddly addictive !

A. Sukombu is popular Dagashi (penny snack for children), made with Kombu seaweed or kelp. It started as Dagashi but this days it’s popular among grownup too as healthy substitute for other snacks such as chips and chocolate. Until around 1945, apprenticeship system where kids around 10 years old were sent out to merchants to learn ABC of business was still popular. Kids lived with merchants, three meals provided and they learnt not only basic of business but also how to read, write and calculate, even discipline as a merchant. One boy was working as an apprentice at Kombu wholesaler in Osaka and fragments of Kombu, pickled in vinegar to soften, that couldn’t be sold as proper products was always his snack. He thought to himself if he seasons it sweet, it can be a popular snack and when he was 19, he went independent to make this idea into product. It first became popular among children in Osaka but after he started to sell it at Kiosk at JR stations in Tokyo, in a small bright red package which was eye-catchy and easy to fit in pockets or bags, it was spread out to all over Japan by passengers using JR lines and become well known and popular nationwide. It’s greenish black strips of Kombu softened and seasoned with vinegar and then coated with white sweet powdery seasoning called “magic powder” (suspicious !). To be honest it doesn’t look appetizing and the texture is funny, soft but chewy and it kinda tries to escape from your teeth when you bite. But as said in the question, it’s oddly addictive. The reason behind its addictiveness is “Umami”. Umami is one of 5 basic tastes, sweet, sour, bitter, salty and Umami. It’s Japanese word literally translates “yummy-ness”, often described “savory” in English. There are three acids that create Umami and Kombu is full of glutamic acid, one the three. Breast milk contains a lot of glutamic acid and it works as a signal to tell babies it’s safe to drink and nutritious. So Umami created by glutamic acid is a flavor you (or your tongue) are familiar with since you were born and something you naturally crave for. So this is why Sukombu is addictive !

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