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Delicious sea vegetables that with a common name we call algae, today are available in various kinds and forms, as food and food supplements. In China they are served as vegetables, while in Ireland they are made into porridge and use it as a medium for thickening deserts. Algae is also becoming more and more popular as food supplements today.
In general, the term ‘sea weed’ refers to a large number of sea plants that we find in seas and oceans. Most of that group are algae (mostly green, red and brown), that dominate the waters for billions of years. There are 20.000 kinds of algae, and the humanity enjoys the tastes of hundreds of various kinds. They are especially important as food in nutrition of people from coast Asia, the islands of Brittain, Iceland and Hawaii.
What are they used for
Japanese use sea weed as “wrappers”, for sushi for example, and they also add it to salads and soups, they are made as “snacks” as well, by frying them in oil. In China they serve them as vegetables, while in Ireland they are made into porridge and use it as a medium for thickening deserts. Namely, algae are also grown so powerful thickeners and emulsifiers could be isolated from them – agar, carrageenan and alginates – gelatinous substances that algae profusely accumulate. In general, the term ‘sea weed’ refers to a large number of sea plants that we find in seas and oceans.
Most of sea algae have a rich, delicious taste and fresh sea smell. Many kinds are a good source of vitamins A, B, C and E, iodine, phosphorus and other minerals. Considering that algae represent a valuable source of fibers, minerals and phytonutrients it is advisable to use them as part of balanced diet. So, try them with rice, baked potatoes, in salads, soups and stews.
Unique taste
Taste of algae can hardly be compared to any food that we know. For their very characteristic taste sodium glutamate is responsible, for us better known as flavor enhancer which is added to spice mixes and entrees. Experts describe the taste of sodium glutamate as the taste that can’t be characterized with either one of four basic tastes. Japanese scientist Kikumae Ikeda accidentally discovered it while he was studying brown alga kombu, which is often used in Asian cuisine for soup preparation. He determined that this alga is an excellent source of sodium glutamate which makes a new taste, and which can be best described as pleasant, tasty, fine.
Types of algae
Various types of algae have taken on the plates of macrobiotics and other individuals who embraced the Eastern tastes and so-called ‘fusion cuisine’. For example, arame algae have mild taste and they need to be marinated or cooked with sauces and vegetables so their taste would be enhanced. They are most common in salads, but they are also used as a supplement for cooked vegetables. Algae known under the name nori usually come in a form similar to paper, and Japanese sushi is wrapped in them. Dulse is an alga ideal for salads because it can be eaten raw, but it goes well with soups and stews also. When finely chopped, it can serve as taste enhancer for meat meals. Kombu and wakame algae are representatives of brown algae and they are a common supplement for meals like stews and soups in Asian countries. What is especially interesting is kombu algae chips. Arame algae go great with root vegetables, seeds and tofu.
Preparation
Proper preparation of algae is extremely important, being that they can have very high levels of arsenic that can be removed by sousing and boiling the algae. That mostly refers to alga hijiki that is especially rich with arsenic. The traditional way for preparing algae, with washing and sousing on room temperature, before cooking, results in reduced arsenic contribution in algae up to 60 percent, and it is good that the water where algae are soused is warm. These precautions are especially important for individuals that follow the macrobiotic and vegetarian diet because they use them more often.
The rule says that raw algae should be washed properly with water, then soaked for 15 minutes in hot water, and after that decanted and rinsed, and remaining water should be thrown out. After that algae are cooked, simmered or baked, depending on the type of food that is being prepared.
Algae as food supplements
For many years, the leading place in popularity for food supplements based on algae is held by alga Spirulina. Spirulina is a unique, blue-green microalga that belongs to the oldest plant organisms on Earth. It is very rich with proteins with excellent amino acid profile because it contains essential amino acids which our organism can’t synthesize by itself. Taking spirulina as a food supplement we supply ourselves with β-carotene, B-complex vitamins and iron in a readily usable form. Spirulina is a natural source of magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and elements in traces like copper, manganese and chrome. It is rich with chlorophyll and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Chlorella experienced a significant boom among the worshipers of natural food supplements in the last few years. It is one of rare freshwater algae which is beneficial for human organism. Namely, most of freshwater algae are toxic. Chlorella is a green algae, extremely rich with chlorophyll so it is used as a powerful organism cleaner, within the detoxification program. It is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Algae Fucus and Kelp are also available as food supplements in tablets, and their basic characteristic is being rich with mineral iodine. It is known that iodine is extremely important for the proper function of thyroid gland so these algae are often recommended for stimulation of metabolism and easier weight loss. Also, they are rich with various vitamins, minerals and specific polysaccharides, and they also contain alginate, laminarin and fukoidin which are capable of absorbing a large amount of water, giving the feeling of saturation and having a light laxative effect.
That is why some of the most popular ingredients for losing weight today are based on extracts from brown algae.