On Food and Cooking

a vegetable; in Ireland they’re mashed up in
porridge and thicken desserts. Most seaweeds
have a richly savory taste and a fresh aroma
reminiscent of the seacoast, which in fact they
help to perfume. Many are good sources of
vitamins A, B, C, and E, of iodine and other
minerals, and when dried may be a third
protein. Seaweeds are abundant, renew
themselves rapidly over a life span of one or
two years, and are easily preserved by drying.
In Japan, where they’ve been cultivated since
the 17th century, the farmed production of the
seaweed used to wrap sushi is more valuable
than the harvest of any other aquacultural
product, including fish and shellfish.

Some    Prominent   Edible  Seaweeds

Scientific  Name Uses

Green   Algae

Sea lettuce Ulva    lactuca Raw salads, soups