Sea Vegetables

Guide Note

'Sea Vegetables' is a euphemism for edible types of seaweed that was apparently adopted by commercial seaweed wholesalers in the U.S. during the 1980s. The effort is understandable: Terrestrial farmers would have a hard time selling their vegetables as 'land weed,' especially at the prices commanded by such specialty-grocer seaweeds as samphire (a.k.a. sea bean) and arame.

Fast Facts

1. Most commonly associated with Asian cuisines
2. Nori is used as a wrap for sushi
3. Laver and Irish moss are traditional foods in the U.K.
4. Dulse is native to the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe
5. Seaweed extracts are widely used in processed foods
6. High in minerals and a vital source of iodine

All seaweeds are algaes, with properties distinct from those of land plants. Culinarily, some are too tough or delicate to be used as vegetables, per se, but are used as a flavoring ingredients in stocks (like kombu) or as thickening agents (like agar). Varieties including hijiki, wakame, and the widely recognized sushi wrapper, nori, have more of a vegetable quality, and contribute texture and salty, marine, or mineral flavors to a greater number of traditional cuisines, worldwide, than most people realize -- with seaweed being, after all, an edible resource that washes freely onto beaches. Scandinavia and South America have seaweed-eating traditions, as does Maritime Canada.