Gamet is a traditional dried
edible seaweed
Edible seaweed, or sea vegetables, are seaweeds that can be eaten and used for culinary purposes. They typically contain high amounts of fiber. They may belong to one of several groups of multicellular algae: the red algae, green algae, and bro ...
from
Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...
and
Cagayan
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...
of 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 ...
, particularly from the town of
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...
. Gamet are dried into sheets or thin cakes called (from Spanish for "piece"), which are characteristically purplish-black in color. It is used widely in soups, salads, omelets and other dishes, in the cuisines of the northern Philippines.
They are harvested from the red seaweed ''
Porphyra atropurpurea'', ''
Pyropia vietnamensis
''Pyropia'' is a genus of red algae in the family Bangiaceae. It is found around the world in intertidal zones and shallow water. The genus has folding frond-like blades which are either red, brown or green. Some ''Pyropia'' species are used to ...
'' (previously known as ''Porphyra marcosii''), ''
Halymenia formosa'', and related species. In the Philippines, these species only grow in the sea off northern
Luzon
Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
, where the waters are cooler.
Gamet are manually harvested off rocks at low tide. The harvesting process is dangerous, and there have been fatal accidents among gamet gatherers due to sharp rocks and strong waves. They are then washed in seawater and dried into sheets or thin cakes for three to eight hours.
Gamet is seasonal and is only available in the
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
months, from November to March.
See also
*
Gulaman
''Gulaman'', in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan extracted from edible seaweed used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment '' sago't gulaman'', somet ...
*
Guso
''Eucheuma'', commonly known as sea moss or gusô (), is a rhodophyte seaweed that may vary in color (purple, brown, and green). ''Eucheuma'' species are used in the production of carrageenan, an ingredient for cosmetics, food processing, and ind ...
*
Lato
Lato () was an ancient city of Crete, the ruins of which are located approximately 3 km from the village of Kritsa.
History
The Dorian city-state was built in a defensible position overlooking Mirabello Bay between two peaks, both of ...
(green caviar)
*
Nori
Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, usually made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezoensis'' and ''Pyropia tenera, P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made in ...
*
Green laver
Green laver (), known as ''aonori'' (; ) in Japan, ''sea cabbage'' () or ''hutai'' () in China, and ''parae'' () and ''kim'' () in Korean, is a type of edible green seaweed, including species from the genera ''Monostroma'' and ''Sea lettuce, U ...
*
Laverbread
Laverbread (; or '; ) is a food product made from laver, an edible seaweed (littoral alga) consumed mainly in Wales as part of local traditional cuisine. The seaweed is commonly found around the west coast of Great Britain, and the coasts of I ...
References
{{Filipino cuisine
Edible seaweeds
Filipino cuisine
Raw foods