It's one of Japan's most comforting of comfort foods: a bowl of rice with a hot pot of tea poured on top. Ochazuke, literally "steeped in tea", is typically served at the end of meal or a night out, but it can also make for a quick and light Japanese breakfast. The dish can be traced back to the Heian Period (794-1185), when it took the form of hot water poured over cold rice. Tea replaced hot water during the Edo Period (1603-1868), and the dish evolved again in the 1950s when Nagatanien started selling "instant" ochazuke packets containing powdered tea and kombu (kelp). Ochazuke has continued to change; nowadays, it is possible to find it served with an umami-rich seafood dashi.