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 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 ...

, including species from the genera ''

Monostroma ''Monostroma'' is a genus of marine green algae (seaweed) in the family Monostromataceae. As the name suggests, algae of this genus are monostromatic (single cell layered). '' Monostroma kuroshiense'', an algae of this genus, is commercially cu ...

'' and ''

Ulva Ulva (; ) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, off the west coast of Mull. It is separated from Mull by a narrow strait, and connected to the neighbouring island of Gometra by a bridge. Much of the island is formed from Cen ...

'' (''

Ulva prolifera ''Ulva prolifera'' (previously ''Enteromorpha prolifera''), also known as the branched string lettuce, is a species of seaweed algae in the family Ulvaceae that can be found worldwide. Description ''U. prolifera'' is visually filamentous and ...

'', '' Ulva pertusa'', '' Ulva intestinalis''). It is commercially cultivated in some bay areas in Japan, Korea, and

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 ...

, such as

Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie prefecture, Mie and Aichi prefecture, Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the small ...

. It is rich in minerals such as

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...

vitamin Vitamins are Organic compound, organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamer, vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolism, metabolic function. Nutrient#Essential nutrients, ...

s, and

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

s such as

methionine Methionine (symbol Met or M) () is an essential amino acid in humans. As the precursor of other non-essential amino acids such as cysteine and taurine, versatile compounds such as SAM-e, and the important antioxidant glutathione, methionine play ...

. It is also called ''aosa'' (アオサ, ''Ulva pertusa'') in some places in Japan.

Culinary use

Japan

It is used in its dried form for Japanese

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

s, ''

tempura is a typical Japanese dish that usually consists of seafood and vegetables that have been coated in a thin batter and deep-fried. Tempura originated in the 16th century, when Portuguese Jesuits brought the Western-style cooking method of ...

'', and material for manufacturing dried ''

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 ...

'' and '' tsukudani'' and rice. It is also used in a powdered form, often blended with ''

'' species of

Ulvaceae Ulvaceae () is a widely distributed family of thin green algae characterized by a flat or a hollow tubular thallus, reproducing via conjugation of planogametes or zoospores, and classified within the orders Ulotrichales or, more commonly, Ul ...

as its production is limited. It is used commonly for flavouring of some Japanese foods, usually by sprinkling the powder on the hot food, for its aroma: * Fried

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

s (''

yakisoba (, , ) is a Japanese noodle Stir frying, stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in are Chinese-style noodles () made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce ...

'' or '' yakiudon'') *

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese ''teppanyaki'' savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a '' teppan'' (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include ...

(Japanese pancake) *

Takoyaki Takoyaki ( or ) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter (cooking), batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus as food, octopus (''tako''), tempura scraps (''tenkasu' ...

(octopus dumpling ball) * Isobe age * Isobe mochi *

Shichimi , also known as or simply ''shichimi'', is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients. Tōgarashi is the Japanese name for ''Capsicum annuum'' peppers, and it is this ingredient that makes shichimi spicy. Etymology "Shic ...

(seven-spice seasoning) * Japanese

potato chips Potato chips (North American English and Australian English; often just chip) or crisp (British English and Hiberno-English) are thin slices of potato (or a thin deposit of potato paste) that has been deep frying, deep fried, baking, baked, ...

* Misoshiru Japanese Raw Aonori.JPG, Raw ''aonori'' from

Lake Hamana is a brackish lagoon in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Formerly a true lake, it is now connected to the Pacific Ocean by a channel. As an internal body of water, it is considered Japan's tenth-largest lake (by area). It spans the boundaries of th ...

Japanese Raw Aonori Misoshiru.JPG,

Miso soup is a traditional Japan, Japanese soup consisting of miso paste mixed with a ''dashi'' Stock (food), stock. It is commonly served as part of an meal, meaning "one soup, three dishes," a traditional Japanese meal structure that includes rice, sou ...

with raw ''aonori'' Modern yaki, rice and tsukemono by hirotomo in Osaka.jpg, ''

'' with ''aonori'' powder 岩崎屋の黒焼きそば (33822311413).jpg,

Yakisoba (, , ) is a Japanese noodle Stir frying, stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in are Chinese-style noodles () made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce ...

with ''aonori'' powder

Korea

In Korea, ''parae'' is eaten as a

namul ''Namul'' () refers to either a variety of edible greens or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (). On the day of Daeboreum, the first full moo ...

vegetable. It is also used to make '' gim'' (dried laver sheets). Parae-gamja-jeon 2.jpg, ''Parae- gamja-jeon'' (green laver potato pancake) Paraemuchim (seasoned parae) (Monostroma nitidum).jpg, ''Parae-muchim'' (seasoned green laver) 파래 01 01 2.jpg Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival 101.JPG, Dried green laver sheets

Similar species

Green laver shares the name "laver" with '' Porphyra umbilicalis'', a red seaweed, which is harvested from the coasts of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland and used to prepare laverbread. Like "green laver", similar edible seaweeds with indigenous names translated as "laver", are found in many other countries around the world. In Hawaii, "the species '' Porphyra atropurpurea'' is considered a great delicacy, called ".

References

External links