The Truth About Dashi
Why does a 'vegetable' dish still have fish in it?
ANSWER
Dashi is the stock that underlies most Japanese savory cooking, and the most common version is built from katsuobushi (dried, smoked bonito flakes) and kombu (kelp). It goes into miso soup, simmered vegetable dishes, dipping sauces, and countless things that read as 'vegetarian' on the surface — a plate of simmered pumpkin or a bowl of vegetable udon can both be cooked in a fish-based stock without a single visible piece of fish. This is arguably the single biggest blind spot for vegetarians eating in Japan, because it's invisible unless you know to ask specifically about dashi, not just about meat. The one category you can trust by default is shojin ryori (Buddhist temple cuisine), which is built on kombu-and-shiitake dashi precisely because it has to avoid animal products entirely — outside of that label, assume fish stock unless a menu or staff member tells you otherwise.