Katsuobushi, the raw material for Japanese soup stock, is made from bonito fish that is boiled, smoked, dried and aged. Other companies use fish which is steamed, softened, and then ground. As a result, the taste and flavor of the katsuobushi is greatly impaired. Dashi-gura’s products are designed not to be softened at all, but rather cut directly from the fish, taking more time and resulting in a higher quality Japanese soup stock. By further roasting at low temperature for about 3 hours, the rich flavor is completely trapped within the katsuobushi.