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Seaweeds were gathered from the shore by our pre-human ancestors
for use as food, and we continue to eat them today. They provide important
minerals, particularly iodine, which can be in short supply from other
sources. Besides being eaten as vegetables, algae and cyanobacteria are
major feedstocks for the food processing, dietary supplement and medicinal
industries.
Very few sea vegetables are toxic, but some are. Cyanobacteria and
single celled algae can be highly toxic, and increasingly infest our
oceans due to climate change and human pollution.
Brown Algae
[Class Phaeophyceae] of Division
Ochrophyta of Superphylum Heterokonta (formerly
Chromista) within Clade SAR within Domain Eukaryote
The brown algae are quite different from other seaweeds,
more closely related to diatoms, downy mildew and other single cell life
forms (See Note-A2). They are multicellular, and do
have oxygen generating chloroplasts, but of a different type than those
of plants.
Kelps
[Order Laminariales] Here are found most of the
multi-celled Brown Algae - the ones we can actually see without a
microscope.
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Laminariaceae Family
This large family of Kelps includes our most familiar seaweeds,
particularly the giant kelp that litters our West Coast beaches after
a storm. Kelps are of great economic, culinary and environmental
importance. They provide shelter and breeding grounds for many
animal species. They also have many uses in food processing,
including manufacturing vegan "caviar" - and many are eaten fresh
or dried.
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Kelp - Japanese
[Konbu, Kombu, Ma-Konbu (Japan); Miyeok, Dashima (Korea); Haidai
(China): Sacharina japonica (formerly Laminaria japonica)
and several other L. species)]
This is edible kelp grown along the coasts of Japan, Korea and
China - quite different from the giant kelp of California which
is processed rather than eaten directly. The long wide fronds are
dried and packaged for use particularly to make soup stock, but also for
to use as wrappers for various prepared foods. Almost all this kelp used
for food is cultivated rather than gathered wild which explains why there
are so few crunchy critters growing on it.
This kelp is normally sold as flat dried sheets cut from the fronds but
is also sold as narrow cut strips, salted and bagged in the refrigerated
section. In Japan it is also pickled and and served as a snack to
accompany green tea. The photo shows a piece of a frond as dried, and a
shorter piece cut from the end after soaking.
Details and Cooking.
Bullwhip Kelp
[Edible kelp, Bull kelp, Ribbon kelp; Nereocystis luetkeana]
This kelp is found from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Southern
California, and is an important member of the kelp forests. The
tubular stype can be up to 105 feet long, topped by a float bulb
and ribbon-like fronds up to 13 feet long by nearly 6 inches wide.
The stypes and bulbs need to be soaked in changes of water for a
few days, and then can be pickled or candied. The fronds need to be
dried before they have much flavor. Fronds covered with herring
eggs were very popular with northern Indian tribes.
Photo by distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Cuvie
[Tangle; Laminaria hyperborea]
I'm making a presumption that the contents of the can was
L. hyperborea, because that's the kind of Laminaria
most common up there around Russia - but it could be Laminaria
digitata, a nearly identical kelp also found in the
region. The paper compliance label stuck to the bottom just said
"Laminaria" - everything else on the can was in Russian.
The kelp strips were mild with a pleasant flavor, probably it's
used on the zakuska table. Clearly the Russians didn't quite
understand American labeling law, because the compliance sticker
listed Laminaria last. Ingred: Laminaria, vegetable oil, onions,
vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic, coriander, pepper.
Left photo by Sergey S. Dukachev Distributed under license
Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported, Right photo ©
cg1.
Sea Tangle
[Atlantic Kombu, Oarweed; Laminaria digitata (Atlantic)
| Laminaria setchellii (Northeast Pacific)]
The name "Sea Tangle" properly belongs to the Atlantic kelp
L. digitata, but many packages of kelp found in Asian
markets here in Los Angeles are labeled "Sea Tangle". Actually, this
commercially harvested kelp is closely related to the kombu kelps of
East Asia and can be used similarly, but is not found in the Pacific
at all.
The photo, clearly labeled Laminaria digitata, was taken
in the eastern North Pacific (Washington State), so is probably the
very closely related Laminaria setchellii, which is a little
smaller. Both share the common name "oarweed". L. setchellii
is harvested from Alaska to California, and some could be sold as
Kombu in Asia, but the name "sea tangle" doesn't apply to it.
Photo by Leslie Seaton distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Sea Palm
[Postelsia palmaeformis]
This seaweed grows in high surf environments from Vancouver Island,
Canada, to the central coast of California. It is illegal to
harvest it in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. In
California, where it is most consumed by Japanese communities in
the San Francisco region, recreational harvesting is forbidden,
and commercial harvesting is tightly regulated, with licensing,
fees and quotas. Both the fronds and the stypes are consumed, but
mostly the fronds. Dried fronds sell for about 2018 US $45 per
pound. Studies are underway to assure sustainable
harvests. This is one of a very few seaweeds that spend most of
their time out of the water. The Sea Palm is not to be confused
with the Southern Sea Palm (Eisenia arborea), which is an
underwater species with much longer fronds.
Photo by US Fish & Wildlife Service = Public
Domain.
Sugar Kelp
[Sea Belt, Devil's Apron; Sweet Tangle (Australia); Hai dai,
Kouanpan, Haihouan, Yan tsai (China); Karafuto Kombu (Japan);
Saccharina latissima]
This seaweed is found on the northeast coasts of the Pacific,
and the northeast coasts of the Atlantic in cool temperate to
arctic waters. It grows to 16 feet long and nearly 8 inches wide,
living for two to four years. It is generally sold dried, and has
a sweeter taste than other kelps due to sugar alcohols (mannitol)
and monosodium glutamate/ There is interest in establishing it as
an aquaculture crop, especially due to extreme decline in some
areas, possibly an effect of global warming.
Photo by Cwmhiraeth distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported.
Kelp - Giant
[Macrocystis pyrifera]
Along the temperate western coasts of North and South America, forests of
Giant Kelp provide food and shelter for fish, crustaceans and other sea
life. The greatest kelp forests in the world are off the coast of California
where fronds can grow to 200 feet (60 meters), and in the warm sunlit
waters of Southern California can grow more than 10 inches (25 cm) a day.
California kelp is both an important resource and important to the health
of the marine environment so harvesting kelp is highly regulated here. The
main threat to kelp forests is not harvesting but sea urchins. Order more
Uni in your local sushi bar to
help the spiny lobsters keep the sea urchin population under control.
Hundreds of tons of giant kelp are harvested every year for production
of algin, a thickener and stabilizer used in products from toothpaste to
beer to ice cream, and also to feed farmed abalone.
Photo © i0085.
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Alariaceae Family
This is a relatively small family of Kelps, including only a
few that are significant as food.
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Wakame
[Wakame (Japan); Miyeok (Korea); Qundaicai (China);
Undaria pinnatifida]
Wakame is a popular seaweed for soups and salads,particularly in
Japan and Korea. its native region. It has become a troublesome
invasive in New Zealand and some other places. It has also invaded
California, but can't compete with native kelps. It is found here
only in estuaries and disturbed places the native kelps haven't yet
returned to.
It has a softly crunchy texture and a pleasant slightly spinachy
flavor. While most familiar in North America as dry, brittle black
tangles in plastic bags, it is also commonly available salted in
bags in the refrigerated section of Korean markets.
The photo specimens are dried tangle (center), salted tangle
briefly soaked (lower right) and a single piece from the salted
tangle spread out (upper left). This is a short length cut from
one side of the central stem.
Wakame has recently been found to contain a substance that
stimulates production of a fat burning protein, so expect it to become
better known in the West. It has become a troublesome invasive weed
along the coasts of non-Asian countries, so eat up!
Details and Cooking
Winged Kelp
[Edible Kelp; Dabberlocks, Badderlocks (Scotland); Murlins
(Greenland); Henware (Faroe Islands); Marinkjami (Iceland);
Alaria esculenta]
This seaweed is found in the northeast Atlantic: Greenland,
Iceland, Scotland, Ireland and the northern parts of England. It
can grow to a maximum length of about 7 feet.
The midribs of this seaweed are sweet and crunchy, often eaten
raw or chopped and included in salads. The leafy part of the
frond is a bit acrid raw, so is dried and rehydrated before
use. The reproductive fronds at the base of the main frond (bottom
left in photo) are peanutty in flavor.
Water color from British Sea-weeds, 1867 copyright
expired.
Ribbon Kelp
[Winged Kelp, California nori, Wild nori, California wakame;
Alaria marginata]
This seaweed is found from Kodiak Island, Alaska, to Point
Conception, California on the West Coast of North America. It
can grow to 13 feet, but is usually quite a bit shorter in
Alaska. When harvesting, only the top half of the frond should
be cut off for use. This allows the plant to continue to live
and produce spores to keep the population stable.
Usage is much the same as A. esculenta (see above),
except the leafy parts of the frond are often used fresh, though
more often dried and rehydrated so they can be stored for future
use. The midrib is often sliced and used in stir fries.
Photo by U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration = Public Domain.
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Lessoniaceae Family
This is a small family of Kelps, including only a few that are
significant as food. Most are from around Japan, or western
South America
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Arame
[Sea oak; Eisenia bicyclis]
This seaweed is found mostly around Japan, but is being farmed in
South Korea and other reasonably warm waters. In Japan it is
popular and may be served alone, mixed with other seaweeds in a
seaweed salad, used as a garnish or included in many kinds of
cooked dishes. It is normally sold dried, and takes a very short
soaking cycle before it is usable. It has a light semi-sweet flavor
and is high in calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, other minerals
and vitamin A. Arame is available on-line in North America, generally
at more than 2022 US $6.00 per ounce.
Illustration copyright expired
Kajime
[Noro-kajime (Japan); Ecklonia cava]
This seaweed is found mainly in the Sea of Japan, along western
Japan and around Korea. It can grow to 4-1/4 feet long. It is
currently in decline, and there are a number of studies to see
what can be done about that due to its importance to the ecology
and to humans.
Kajime is currently being studied for its antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties, and
being promoted as an herbal remedy for everything from cancer to
erectile disfunction. In Japan, it has long been eaten in soups
and salads.
Photo by Unknown, distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported.
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Bull Kelps & Saragassos
[Order Fucales] Yet another Order within the
Brown Algae. This one accounts for a huge tonnage, but not a whole lot
of it is edible.
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Hijiki
[Hijiki, Hiziki (Japan); Nongmichae (Korea); Hai tso, Chiau tsai,
Hai ti tun, Hai toe din, Hai tsao, Hoi tsou (China);
Sargassum fusiforme]
This seaweed is found along rocky coasts of China, Korea and Japan, and
is now cultivated along the coast of China and the Korean coast facing
China. Used as a sea vegetable in Japan, it was brought to North America by
the Michio Kushi Macrobiotic movement. It is imported from Japan, China and
Korea in dried form, and that is how it is generally used in Japan. It is
available in two forms: Leaf Form (Mé Hijiki) as shown in the photo,
and Wire Form (Naga Hijiki), which looks like a tangle of thin black wires.
For details see our Hijiki page.
Bladderwrack
[Fucus vesiculosus of family Fucaceae]
This seaweed is found in the North Atlantic, both east and west
coasts, south to Morocco and North Carolina. It grows to about
35 inches long and 1 inch wide. Bladderwrack is used
mainly as a food flavoring and additive, and as a medicinal,
particularly for iodine deficiency and certain female problems.
Photo by Stemonitis distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic..
Cochayuyo
[Collofe (Mapuche); Durvillaea antarctica of family
Durvillaeaceae]
This large Bull Kelp is the dominant seaweed off the shores of Chile
and New Zealand, and also found around southern Argentina and
Australia. It can grow to 32 feet long and has a honeycomb structure
for strength and flotation. In Chile, stems and fronds are sun dried
and later rehydrated for use in salads stews and soups.
Photo by franek2 distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported attribution required..
Sea Spaghetti
[Himanthalia elongata of family Himanthaliaceae]
Native to the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and East Atlantic from Scandinavia
down to Portugal, this seaweed grows to about 7 feet. The stringy
fronds spawn, then decay in the late summer. New ones will sprout
in the second and third years. Sea Spaghetti has been used for food
for many years, in various dishes where its beefy or nutty flavors
are appreciated.
Photo by Baralloco distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported.
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Red Algae
[Division Rhodophyta of clade Archaeplastida]
Red Algae (see Note-A3) is adapted to living at
greater depth than green and brown algae, but not all do so. Its pigment
reflects red light and absorbs blue, the color that penetrates deepest.
Red algae are now widely accepted as plants - but only by the broadest
definition of "plants", so acceptance isn't universal and is subject to
change without notice.
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Nori
[Nori (Japan); Gim, Kim (Korea); Laver (Europe); Porphyra
yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes other species]
These Red Algae is farmed intensively in Japan, Korea and China. They
look just like the Laverbread in the next paragraph. Once harvested,
Nori is shredded and made up into paper-like sheets very much the way
handmade paper is made. These sheets are lightly toasted which turns
them green. They are used as a wrapping for sushi, as a garnish, as a
flavoring in soups, and seasoned for use as snacks. This important
seaweed now has its own page,
Nori / Gim / Kim
Laverbread
[Laver, Laverbread (Wales, Scotland); Bara Lawr (Wales); Slake (Ireland);
Porphyra umbilicalis]
This Algae is best knonw in Wales, but is also harvested on the west
coast of Scotland and the east coast of Ireland. It is used for making
various forms of Laverbread. The Seaweed is havested at low tide, washed
well, then boiled for hours until it becomes a stiff green paste. It is
often mixed with oatmeal and fried. It is not farmed, but gathered wild
Like other Red Algae it is high in protein, iron and iodine as well as
containing significant amounts of vitamins B2, A, D and C.
Photo by Rosser1954 distributed under license
Wikimedia Commons
Attribution Share-Alike v4.0 International.
Red Tosaka
[Tosaka-nori (Japan); Jiguancai (China lit "cockscomb vegetable");
Meristotheca papulosa]
This Indo-West Pacific algae is popular in Japan as an appetizer or
salad and is also popular in Taiwan. Note that in Japan there are green
and white seaweeds also called "Tosaka" and similarly used.
Photo © i0086.
Irish Moss
[Carrageen, Chondrus crispus]
Found along the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe in the
intertidal and subtidal zones, this branching and generally reddish
or purplish seaweed grows to about 9 inches long, It can turn green
in strong sunlight. Similar species are found and harvested off Korea
and Japan.
Irish moss is harvested as a source of carrageenan. This substance
is used as a thickener for soups and to make jellies. Industrially it
is used as a thickener and stabilizer in ice cream, luncheon meats and
other processed foods, and also for fining beer and wine. It has a
long history of medicinal use in Europe as well.
Irish moss is always harvested wild, with Canada the major
harvester at about 10,000 tons per year followed by France at about
1,260 tons per year.
Illustration from Koehler's Medicinal-Plants, copyright
expired.
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Green Algae
[Division Chlorophyta of clade Archaeplastida]
Green Algae (see Note-A1) is now widely
accepted as a plant, and more securely so than red algae. It is best
known from the genus Ulva, Sea Lettuce or Green Laver. Sea
lettuce species are sources of vitamins E, A, and B1, and are high in
Iodine and other minerals (Ca, K, Mg, Na, Cu, Fe, Zn)
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Sea Lettuce
[Hai tsai (China lit. "Sea Vegetable"); Aosa (Japan);
Ulva lactuca | see also Ulva intestinalis
and Ulva clathrata (next paragraph)]
Sea lettuce is found in tidal and near tidal seawater worldwide,
generally anchored to rocks or other algae. It is eaten raw in salads
and cooked in soups, particularly in Scandinavia, Great Britain,
Ireland, China, and Japan. It is also eaten dried (see next paragraph)
Sea lettuce is small, generally around 6 inches long but can grow
to nearly 40 inches. It is almost transparently thin and consists of a
single wide frond anchored at one point. It may be ruffled or somewhat
divided, generally resembling the lettuce leaves after which it is
named. U. lactuca is common worldwide in tropical and temperate
regions, but is less common in arctic regions.
Most sea lettuce is gathered wild as it grows prolifically wherever
there are sufficient nutrients, in both highly and moderately saline
waters, but some is farmed.
Photo by Kristian Peters licensed under
GNU Free Documentation License v1.2.
Sea Lettuce / Stone Hair
[Tai Tyau (China, lit. "Stone Hair"); Bo-ao-nori (Japan, lit.
"Green Nori") Ulva intestinalis and Ulva clathrata
(both previously in genus Enteromorpha) |
see also U. lactuca (above)]
Stone Hair is often used dried in China, either rehydrated or
ground to powder as a flavoring ingredient (Tai tyau feen). The
photo specimen is U. intestinalis, but U. clathrata
goes under the same Chinese name. These are long stringy species
consisting of very thin walled tubes, but U. lactuca (see
above) is also used dried. Conversely, these two species are also
used fresh. All these species of Sea Lettuce are important to the
Buddhist diet in China, both dried and fresh.
U. intestinalis can grow to about 8 inches long, while
U. clathrata can grow to nearly 16 inches long. Both are
found worldwide, but U. intestinalis is much more common
in temperate regions than tropical, and ventures into the arctic.
U. clathrata is common in tropical and subtropical regions,
but is very scarce in subarctic regions.
Sea Grapes
[Green Caviar; Latu Arusip, Ar-arosep, Arosep (Philippine); Latok
(Malay); Umi-budo (Okinawa); Nho bien (Viet);
Caulerpa lentillifera]
This Indo-Pacific seaweed is common in tropical regions but less
common in the subtropics and barely ventures into temperate regions
at all. It is totally absent from the Atlantic. Sea Grape is now
successfully farmed in the Philippines, where it is liked raw with
vinegar as a snack, or in a salad with chopped onions, tomato and a
dressing of fish sauce and vinegar. It is eaten similarly in Okinawa,
Japan. Known to be high in iodine, it has a light pleasant seaweed
flavor and a satisfying crunchiness when bitten. The stems are tough
and stringy, but small and entirely tolerable (swallow them, you need
more fiber anyway).
The photo specimens were packed in salt,
sold at a local Philippine market for 2015 US $4.99 for a package
weighing about 4 ounces. About half the weight was in salt, but when
the seaweed is rinsed and re-hydrated it'll probably weigh about the
same. We have included our ubiquitous red kidney bean for scale.
Sponge Seaweed
[Green sea fingers, Dead man's fingers. Oyster thief; Ch'onggak,
Nokkakch'ae (Korea); Codium fragile]
This coastal seaweed is a siphonous alga, meaning its round branches
are composed of a tangle of near microscopic filaments, each filament
being a single multinucleate cell. This accounts for its spongy texture.
Its branching fronds grow up to about 12 inches long.
Sponge seaweed is very common as a temperate Pacific species from
around Japan, but is also found along the Pacific coasts of Canada,
California and northern Mexico. Subspecies are found in the eastern
North Atlantic, but especially along the Atlantic coast of North
America, where it is a serious invasive. One subspecies grows around
Australia, New Zealand, South America, the southern tip of Africa,
and possibly as far south as Antarctica. Subspecies also exist in
small regions of the Mediterranean.
Details and Cooking.
Photo by Flyingdream contributed to the Public Domain
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Chlorella
[Chlorella vulgaris of class Trebouxiophyceae]
This single celled algae was, in the 1940s and 1950s expected to, by
now, be one of the most important food crops in the world. This did not
happen for a number of reasons. Production proved far more expensive than
expected, it proved entirely indigestible unless its cell walls were
broken down by processing, it proved difficult to make anything from it
that you'd actually want to eat, and methods were found to greatly improve
output of conventional agricultural products.
Today chlorella is sold mainly as a health food supplement. It has
been found effective at removing toxic heavy metals and dioxins from the
body. It is also thought effective for treating radiation poisoning,
reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, and improving immune function,
though these claims are not without contention, Drawing
of Chlorella regularis believed to be in the public domain.
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Lichens
Lichens are symbiotic composite organisms consisting of a fungus body
within which live either single cell algae or cyanobacteria. This
relationship, playing on the strengths of each, allows the organism to
live in extremely harsh environments, from arctic tundra to dry deserts
and on bare rock, though they are also abundant in temperate and
rainforest environments. Lichens are used as food by many cultures
around the world sometimes as a survival essential and sometimes as
a delicacy. Licnes now have their own
Lichens page so it can be shared
from here and from our Fungus page.
Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria (see Note-A4) is an often blue-green
bacteria, some varieties of which adhere to each other in long strands
that mat together into a mass resembling algae. While some formerly
dormant varieties are now causing problems with toxic blooms (due mainly
to human pollution), we cannot be too resentful of them. Cyanobacteria
are solely responsible for the oxygen in the atmosphere (Click on drawing
for larger and more detailed illustration).
Originally they made oxygen all by themselves but now many live in the
chloroplasts of plants and algae where they are the engine that actually
generates the oxygen. Apparently some eukaryotes ingested cyanobacteria
but found them indigestible. The cyanobacteria found the insides of the
eukaryotes cozy and settled in. The several types of chloroplasts show
this happened more than once.
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Spirulina
[Arthrospira]
Spirulina is the commercial name for Arthrospira, a
Cyanobacteria that forms into spiral threads that can be harvested as
pond scum. Spirulina proper is a different bacteria and is not used for
food.
This algae was a significant nutrient for the Aztecs and still
is for some African tribes, but its commercial potential has been
overblown. Wild, unsupportable claims by health food purveyors
have brought heavy fines in California, but the claims continue.
This is not to say it is not nutritious, it is, containing a fairly
balanced protein, many vitamins, minerals and nutritional pigments,
as well as fatty acids
The problem here is that all these nutrients can by obtained at
much lower cost from other sources. Promoters haven't been able to
get spirulina accepted as a general food either, because it looks bad,
tastes bad and can be heavily contaminated with insects, copepods
(tiny crustaceans) and worse - It's grown in open ponds.
Spirulina has been promoted to ethical vegetarians as a source of
Vitamin B12, which they desire to get from non-animal sources (of
which there aren't any of useful concentration in nature). It does
contain a significant amount of a form of B12 not usable by the human
body, but any usable B12 in Spirulina appears to come from insect
and copepod contamination (animals, in other words). The more
contamination the more B12.
Photo by Joan Simon distributed under
license Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.
Fat Choy - Black Moss
[Hair Moss, Sea Moss; (Fat Choy lit "Hair Vegetable"); Tóc tien
tóc thieng (lit "Angel Hair");
Nostoc flagelliforme]
Not actually a moss, this land dwelling cyanobacteria forms long
strands that look like hair. It is harvested in the Gobi Desert and
the Qinghai Plateau, but harvesting has been restricted due to
resulting erosion. Due to increasing cost, sellers have responded in
the time honored Chinese way - by adulterating the product. Real Fat
Choy is dark green - the adulterant strands, made from starch, are
usually black. Real Fat Choy will stand up to over 30 minutes of
simmering, but adulterant strands will disintegrate.
Details and Cooking.
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Links
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