Wakame, multidimensional seaweed - Foodpairing (2024)

FAQs

Do they put food coloring in seaweed salad? ›

Seaweed salad usually contains wakame, a highly nutritious seaweed that's low in calories and high in various nutrients. That said, most premade versions contain high amounts of salt, sugar, food colorings, and flavorings, and are therefore less nutritious.

Wakame has a pretty mild flavor in comparison to many seaweeds. It still has a bit of “sea” taste, but it's more refreshing than pungent. It also has a texture that's kind of like a more delicate kombu — similarly slippery and smooth, but more tender (and of course not so thick and fibrous that it's beyond edibility).

Sea vegetables are a group of edible seaweeds that are used in many cuisines around the world. They are often used as a substitute for vegetables in dishes, such as in seaweed salads.

To rehydrate wakame, soak it in water for 3-5 minutes (it will expand 6-10 times its dried size).

Seaweed often contains arsenic, but most of it occurs in an 'organic' form known as arsenosugars, considered by scientists and the OEHHA to be relatively harmless because it's almost entirely excreted. However, inorganic arsenic is known to increase the risk of cancer, and some seaweed species can contain high levels.

Iron and protein: Wakame can have a relatively high iron and protein content than other seaweeds. Plant-based folate and B12: Wakame can offer a source of these essential vitamins necessary for copying and synthesising DNA, producing new cells and supporting nerve and immune function.

With its rapid growth rate, this species can colonise areas not typically inhabited by native seaweed species. This can drive ecosystem changes and Irish species may not be able to adapt to this change, however, the impacts of this species are, at present, poorly understood.

One of the most popular edible seaweed species is Nori, thanks to its 'roll' in sushi. Nori has a milder flavour than other seaweeds, but still packs a punch with its vitamin and mineral content. It's a particularly good source of vitamin B12 – a vitamin which is often absent in land plants[iii].

The primary common name is derived from the Japanese name wakame (ワカメ, わかめ, 若布, 和布). In English, it can be also called sea mustard.

Most seaweed contains high levels of iodine, and a person may consume too much if they eat a lot of seaweed over an extended period. While many people can handle high levels of iodine, some are more vulnerable to its effects, which can include hyperthyroidism.

Which is healthier seaweed or spinach? ›

In their lab at the University of Hawaii, nutritionists studied 13 varieties of popular edible seaweeds, and found that, while many of them are indeed rich in iron, only two types—nori and sea lettuce—provide more bioavailable iron than you'd get from eating the same amount of spinach.

Seaweed offers a much healthier alternative to snacking

Children who grow up eating calorie-dense foods such as chips, sweets, processed meats, and sugary cereals, are more likely to consume these foods during adulthood, putting them at a higher risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Wakame, a type of edible seaweed, typically has a shelf life of about one to two years when stored properly in a cool, dark place.

Typically, manufacturers dry nori and sell it in thin, paper-like sheets, packaging them in resealable plastic bags. Its texture is crispy and brittle when dry but becomes soft and chewy when wet.

Hoogvliet was particularly surprised to discover that different kinds of seaweed can yield natural dyes in a broad range of hues. Using these, she has coloured textiles in greens, browns, greys, pinks and purples.

Green seaweeds, like plants, get their color from the presence of chlorophyll. Their phylum, Chlorophyta, takes its name from it. Red seaweeds, have characteristic accessory pigments than chrlorophyll, notably phycobiliproteins. The two main types are phycoerythrin (red) and phycocyanin (blue).

Carrageenan is an ingredient derived from red seaweed that works as a thickener in foods. The name Carrageenan is derived from “[a] species of seaweed known as Carrageen Moss or Irish Moss in England, and Carraigin in Ireland.

The dye solution was procured from the seaweed by solid-liquid extraction (Soxhlet) method using acetone, methanol, ethanol and water as solvent system (Arora et al. 2017).