However, sea vegetables called "brown kelp" or "brown seaweed" aren't always actually brown in color — just as nori, a type ...

Kombu, the Japanese word for kelp (though it also refers to a particular variety of seaweed with the unwieldy name laminariaceae), which grows in deeper water, is most easily harvested this way.

Although sometimes used as a synonym for seaweed, kelp refers to brown algae from the Laminariaceae family. The kelp most often used in Japanese dishes, including miso soup and udon, is kombu.

Some algae species, especially kombu and several other brown algae, have a strong iodine taste. Along with iodine, potassium and sodium also provide a marine taste. Sweet kelp ...

The three main categories are brown algae, such as kombu, which is used to make dashi; green algae, such as sea lettuce; and red algae, such as nori, which is often used to wrap sushi rolls and ...