If you are not that familiar with Japanese cooking, you might have never heard of bonito flakes. They are simply dried flakes of fish (bonito, which is from the same family as tuna and mackerel) that can be re-constituted quite easily in water to make fish broth. Couldn’t be easier.   Many years ago, I wrote the 8-chapter section on Japanese Cooking for the Cooking Around The World For Dummies Cookbook. This kind of broth, with the addition of the kombu, is referred to as “dashi”, which translates as “broth” but is very often referencing this seafood-rich concoction.   Bonito flakes are inexpensive and thanks to the Internet, now readily available. They are also shelf-stable and will last for a very long time.