Edible algae are a superfood
“On the shores of Iceland, one can find an incredibly diverse, almost untapped flora of Icelandic edible seaweeds, which some of the country's most skilled chefs have been rediscovering and restoring to prominence in recent years,”
Seaweed is fundamentally a very simple food that doesn't require much effort but richly rewards those who consume it. Nutritionally, it's safe to say that edible seaweed is a superfood. No land plant contains such a diverse and abundant amount of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and other bioactive compounds, along with a low carbohydrate content, as seaweed does. Edible seaweed is also one of the most sustainable sources of nutrition available to us, as it requires no soil, fresh water, or fertilizer to grow, and it sequesters a large amount of carbon dioxide during its growth process.
Knowledge from Celtic Ancestors
Historically, Icelanders have used seaweeds such as dulse, gutweed, and alaria esculenta for food since the settlement, and this knowledge originates from our Celtic ancestors. In past centuries, seaweed was only used for food in parts of Europe where Celtic cultural influence was present, such as Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, and Iceland. In Japanese cuisine, sugar kelp is known as kombu, alaria esculenta as wakame, purple laver as nori, and sea lettuce as aonori. In addition to these, one can find, for example, thongweed or sea truffle, which provides an exceptionally rich truffle flavor. In the spring, it's possible to pick small bladders that grow on knotted wrack, which, when pickled, taste surprisingly similar to capers but with a more complex umami note. In fact, all intertidal seaweed species that grow around Iceland can be eaten; none of them are poisonous, although not all are equally tasty or pleasant to chew.
A New Reference Work and Cookbook on Seaweed
The book Íslenskir matþörungar (Icelandic Edible Seaweed) was recently published, a comprehensive reference work on seaweed and a high-quality cookbook with world-class recipes. The book is intended to be a guide for the reader on the sustainable use of seaweed and contains detailed information about edible seaweeds, where they grow, how to read tide tables in relation to where the species grow, as well as unique distribution maps for eight Icelandic species and how best to harvest and prepare them for food. A book that no food enthusiast should miss.”
Author Eydís Mary Jónsdóttir, environmental and resource scientist Photo captions: Eydís Mary Jónsdóttir
In the new book, Icelandic Edible Seaweed, you can find information and recipes.
