Seaweed – an important element of Japanese cuisine
Seaweed does not play a role in all parts of Asian cuisine, but it is more important in the cuisine of certain countries and regions. In East Asia, and especially in Japan, seaweed is one of the most important everyday foods. Japan is the country in which the most sea vegetables are consumed in the world. The fact that the Japanese are in some respects statistically remarkably good health is often linked to this. Seaweed and kelp are used in many different ways in Japanese cuisine. They can be boiled, steamed or fried, and they are often pickled. In addition, the seaweed can be boiled to make a spicy broth, and it can be dried and nibbled as a low-calorie snack. Of course, some seaweed is also used to make sushi:
organic seaweed for sushi
What would sushi be without the dark nori sheets used to wrap the tasty rolls? The wafer-thin sheets, naturally available in the ALLBIO range, hold the rice and other fillings together and give the sushi shape. Nori does not refer to a specific type of seaweed, but is a term for sushi seaweed or the thin seaweed sheets used for sushi rolls. These are usually red algae, either Porphyra yezoensis or Porphyra tenera. Before the seaweed can be used for sushi, it must be roasted.
Organic seaweed is tasty and healthy
Seaweed is a food that has hardly any calories but contains valuable nutrients. Seaweed provides magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, selenium and iron as well as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Seaweed also contains niacin and folic acid. Seaweed contains almost no fat, but it does contain carbohydrates and, above all, protein. The high vitamin and mineral content of seaweed, as specified above, is a positive. However, it should be noted that many types of seaweed contain high amounts of iodine. While the Japanese are used to regularly consuming large amounts of iodine, increased iodine intake can lead to thyroid problems if they are not used to it. Therefore, as a precaution, seaweed should only be included in the diet in reasonable amounts. The organic manufacturer Arche specifies a maximum daily intake of around 1g (= 1 seaweed or 1 tablespoon of seaweed) per day. However, this also depends on the individual type of algae: Nori contains only about 5 mg of iodine per 100 mg of dried algae, while the Akame type of algae contains 55 mg. Most of the other types that we offer in our range contain around 20 mg. It is therefore useful to follow the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society for a sensible consumption amount of the various algae: They recommend an average daily intake of no more than 0.2 mg of iodine.
How to use seaweed?
Scientists have identified around 40,000 different types of seaweed, but only around 150 of these are suitable for consumption. How the seaweed is used in cooking depends a little on the type of seaweed: some seaweed is boiled to produce a salty, spicy broth, others are eaten directly as a salad or soup garnish - or, as described above, used to make sushi. We source the organic seaweed for our range from the manufacturer Arche, which is known for providing helpful descriptions for all of its products. These contain detailed instructions on how to use the respective seaweed. We have also compiled some information below on the various seaweeds from the ALLBIO range.
Which seaweeds can be found in ALLBIO’s range?
Here is a brief overview of the different seaweeds that we have in our range.
organic wakame
The firm leaves of the wakame seaweed are often used as a salad (or as an ingredient in mixed salads), in vegetable dishes, but also as a soup garnish. Wakame is a brown seaweed. The pleasantly spicy taste makes this seaweed, which has the botanical name Undaria pinnatifida, a popular treat. Wakame is highly valued not only in Japan, but also in Korea.
organic nori
Nori is very well known and widely used, as nori sheets are used to wrap maki sushi. Nori seaweed (certain types of red algae, see above in the paragraph on sushi) does not have an extremely high iodine content. In addition to roasted nori sheets for sushi, the manufacturer Arche also supplies other forms of nori: unroasted and as flakes. Both can enrich soups, salads and vegetable dishes (the nori flakes are used as a seasoning).
Bio-Arame
The Arame seaweed has a mild aroma and is wonderfully tender. This Japanese brown seaweed of the Eisenia bicycus variety can be used in soups, salads and a variety of vegetable dishes.
organic dulse
Dulse is an algae that stands out due to its impressive purple color. It also stands out due to its particularly spicy note. The company Arche, from whom we purchase dulse for our range, receives this seaweed from France. Arche writes about this product with justifiable pride: "With our partner in France, we were able to achieve Naturland certification for this algae in a pilot project with Naturland Zeichen GmbH, becoming the first provider ever to achieve Naturland certification for a seaweed product."
Whether in salads, soups or various vegetable and grain dishes – there are hardly any culinary limits to the use of dulse.
Naturland sea lettuce
Sea lettuce combines several types of seaweed, so that you have a mixture with an interesting and varied taste. The Naturland sea lettuce from Arche, which is available in the ALLBIO range, is a mixture of two different types of Naturland seaweed from France (dulse and sea lettuce, both gently dried). Sea lettuce is ideal as a spicy addition to omelettes or pancakes, for example, but also for many other dishes.
Try organic algae... It's worth it!
Have you got an appetite for seaweed? If you haven't yet had much to do with this spicy sea vegetable, you should go ahead and give it a try, because seaweed really has a lot to offer and has interesting culinary potential. This starts with sushi, of course, but goes far beyond that. If you want to discover seaweed for yourself and incorporate it into your diet, you will of course find plenty of helpful tips and suggestions on the Internet (e.g. in cooking portals, blogs, etc.). We hope you enjoy it and have fun!
