Osaka was described as "Tenka-no-Daidokoro" (A Kitchen for the Whole Country) in the Edo Period, and all different kinds of food were sent there. Kitamae Ships left Osaka in the spring, sailed north to Hokkaido with cargoes of rice and sake to sell. In the fall, the ships sailed back to Osaka carrying kelp and herrings. Kelp The Kitamae Ships laden with kelp went from Matsumae, Esashi in Hokkaido to Osaka. The route was called "Kelp Road". Kelp was used for soup, and was also processed into "Oboro-Konbu" (shredded tangle) or "Tororo-Konbu" (kelp flakes). There are still a lot of factories for processing kelp, as well as related shops in Dotonbori and Kuromon Market.