Algae as food: seaweed

Japanese food incorporates 20+ types of seaweed, a type of marine algae. For example, Nori is used for sushi wraps, Wakame is used in salads and miso soup, and Kombu is eaten raw or used as seasoning. Chinese, Korean, and other Asian culture also use seaweed in similar fashion.

Although seaweed usage is well known in Asian food, some types of seaweed, e.g., Carrageen (Irish Moss), is used in European countries as a digestive aid.

Agar, a gelatinous substance derived from red algae, is used in ice-cream and wine making by many people around the world.

These are just a small sampling of the uses of algae as food - a simple Google search will reveal thousands of other uses.

But seaweed doesn't just aid digestion, add flavor to food and texture to ice-cream, it's loaded with minerals and vitamins which it absorbs due to its immersion in water.

So, here's to eating more algae!

about this blog

I wrap Nori around everything: orange slices, raspberries, sashimi, apples, eggs, sausage… it's a taste enhancer that's also loaded with nutritious value. I also use lots of other types of marine algae (seaweed) for food and beauty.

My original idea was to create a website on the nutritional and beauty advantage of algae but after a chance encounter with an algae biofuel enthusiast at the BM 2008 AEZ camp and a recent news article about Bill Gates' investment into research for algae biofuel, I decided to explore all the benefits of this amazing plant.

an ode to algae

single celled, almost
invisible, ancient
as the earth itself.

no trunks
no stem
no leaves
no season.

anywhere, and
everywhere, it lives
and
flourishes.

the ultimate adapter, needing
nothing, but
sun and water.

nourishing us, with
food-fuel-oxygen
infinitely.