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!