On Feb 1, 7:34 pm, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> Musashi wrote on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:57:17 GMT:
>
> M> "James Silverton" > wrote in
> M> messagenews:KbMoj.79$qI.42@trnddc03...
> ??>> There is a discussion in rec.food.cooking as to whether or
> ??>> not "hon dashi", the dried basis of miso soup is a generic
> ??>> description. I don't know enough Japanese to answer it (in
> ??>> fact, my Japanese only allows me to translate a few sushi
> ??>> items :-). Can a more competent speaker help, please?
> ??>>
> ??>> James Silverton
> ??>> Potomac, Maryland
> ??>>
> M> James,
>
> M> The "Hon" in Hondashi comes from "Hontou" meaning real or
> M> true. Hondashi is a specific Brand Name of a dashi packet.,
> M> manufactured by Ajinomoto Co.
>
> M> The generic term for dashi is "dashi".
>
> Thanks very much for the quick explanation. I guess then the
> label on the bottle implies "real dashi". The words were
> separated in the English on the Ajinomotu bottle and I did not
> take them as a trade name.
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

That being said, the stuff is quite good. It's not too salty, compared
with say... boullion cubes and similar products. The granules are
packed with flavor, and it's really easy to use too much. I use it all
the time for cooking lobsters and shellfish in general.