For centuries, the Japanese have celebrated the delicate flavor and natural jelling ability of kanten. Several prized sea vegetables are harvested in the fall then during the cold winter months, the seaweeds are cooked down for hours in a huge caldron. The gelatin is cooled and cut into bars, then arranged on bamboo trays and set outside on snow-covered paddies. For two weeks, they freeze each night and thaw each day until they are completely dry. (Only the Kanten Flakes are Kosher, Kanten Bars are no longer kosher).