''Caulerpa lentillifera'' or sea grape is a species of ulvophyte

green algae The green algae (: green alga) are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ...

from coastal regions in the Asia-Pacific. This

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

is one of the favored species of

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from " eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

Caulerpa ''Caulerpa'' is a genus of seaweeds in the family Caulerpaceae (among the green algae). They are unusual because they consist of only one cell with many cell nucleus, nuclei, making them among the biggest single cells in the world. Referring to ...

'' due to its soft and succulent texture. It is traditionally eaten in the cuisines of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

, and

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

. It was first commercially cultivated in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

in the 1950s, followed by Japan in 1968. Both countries remain the top consumers of ''C. lentillifera''. Its cultivation has since spread to other countries, including

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. ''C. lentillifera'', along with '' C. racemosa'', are also known as sea grapes or green caviar in English. It is a siphonous macroalgae, meaning it is a giant single cell with multiple nuclei, and can grow to 30 cm in length. Instead of leaves, the algae has bubbles that burst in the mouth, releasing an umami taste.

Commercial cultivation

Traditionally, ''C. lentillifera'' were harvested directly from the wild. The first commercial cultivation of ''C. lentillifera'' was in the 1950s in

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

, after accidental introduction of ''C. lentillifera'' to fish ponds. Currently, there are around 400 hectares of ponds in the Cebu, producing around 12 to 15 tons of fresh ''C. lentillifera'' per year. They are usually harvested after two months from first planting, and every two weeks afterwards depending on growth rates. Commercial cultivation was followed by Japan in 1986, where it was cultivated in tanks in the warmer waters of

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. Commercial cultivation has since spread to other countries, including

, and

(in

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

and

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

). Most are for domestic consumption, but they are also exported to Japan.

Culinary uses

''Caulerpa lentillifera'', along with ''C. racemosa'', have been traditionally eaten in the cuisines of

, and

. They are almost always eaten raw on their own or in

salads A salad is a Dish (food), dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called ''salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of ...

. They have been described as tasting "like the ocean." It is known to be rich in

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

. In the

, ''C. lentillifera'' is usually known as ''latô'' or ''arosep.'' After being washed in clean water, it is usually eaten raw in salads (''ensaladang latô''), with chopped raw shallots and fresh tomatoes, and dressed with a blend of

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

or '' bagoóng'' (fish paste) and vinegar. Its popularity has also spread to the

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n state of

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

(where it is spelled ''latok'') due to the migrations of the

Bajau The Sama-Bajau include several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia. The name collectively refers to related people who usually call themselves the Sama or Samah (formally A'a Sama, "Sama people"); or are known by the exonym ...

peoples. They are also coveted by coastal Malay communities (as ''latoh'') in the

Riau Archipelago The Riau Archipelago is a ''geographic'' term (as opposed to administrative region) for the core group of islands within the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia, and located south of Singapore and east of Riau on Sumatra. Before the province of Ri ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, the latter until they were displaced inland late 20th century. In

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, it is known as , meaning "sea grapes", or ''kubiretsuta''. It is served dipped in '' ponzu'', made into

sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

, added into salads, or eaten as is. ''Caulerpa lentillifera'' is also eaten in

, where it is known as ''rong nho'' or ''rong nho biển'', meaning "grape algae" or "sea grape algae"; in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, where it is known as ''bada podo'' (바다포도), also meaning "sea grapes"; and in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

(particularly

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

), where it is known as ''bulung.''

Gallery

File:Ensaladang Lato (Seaweed Salad) - Philippines 1.jpg, ''Ensaladang latô'' from the

, prepared with vinegar,

shallot The shallot is a cultivar group of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the difference was t ...

s, and tomatoes File:Okinawa sea grape on sushi.jpg, ''Umi-budō'' sushi File:OceanGrapes.jpg, ''Umi-budō'' served Okinawan style File:USAID Measuring Impact Conservation Enterprise Retrospective (Philippines; Nagkakaisang Tribu ng Palawan) (26420465388).jpg, Fresh ''latô'' sold at a fish market in the

References

External links

Lato, the strange sea salad
The trade of the Caulerpa lentillifera in Coron, Philippines * Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013
Caulerpa lentillifera J.Agardh

AlgaeBase AlgaeBase is a global species database of information on all groups of algae, both seaweed, marine and freshwater algae, freshwater, as well as sea-grass. History AlgaeBase began in March 1996, founded by Michael D. Guiry, Michael Guiry. Text ...

. National University of Ireland, Galway., accessed 19 February 2013.
Caulerpa lentillifera
Seaweed Industry Association {{Philippine cuisine Edible seaweeds lentillifera Japanese cuisine Okinawan cuisine Filipino cuisine Raw foods

Commercial cultivation

Culinary uses

Gallery

See also

References

External links