This study began with Katsuobushi. A traditional component of dashi in Japan,it has been produced for hundreds of years,and imparts an immense amount of
umami when used in dashi or as garnish(McGee, 2004).
Traditional katsuobushi is made through a process by
which the fish is boiled,smoked,inoculated with a specific
mold used throughout Japanese cooking and then under-goes a lengthy aging and drying process.
The resulting product is intensely flavored,and contains high levels of the amino acids responsible for umami (McGee, 2004).