''Pyropia columbina'', Southern laver, ''karengo'' in the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, an ...

and ''luche'' in the

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

, is a species of

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 br ...

traditionally harvested by

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasma ...

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

and Chilote people in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. It is closely related to Japanese

Nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, made from species of the red algae genus '' Pyropia'', including ''P. yezonesis'' and '' P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi o ...

and Welsh

laverbread Laverbread (; cy, bara lafwr or '; ga, sleabhac) 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 B ...

. During World War 2 the

Māori Battalion The 28th (Māori) Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion, was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. It formed following pressure on the Labour government from some Māori Memb ...

were supplied especially with karengo harvested in New Zealand which they chewed raw while on the march. It is widely available only in health stores, and is sprinkled raw on top of food. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

locality is the

Auckland Islands The Auckland Islands ( Māori: ''Motu Maha'' "Many islands" or ''Maungahuka'' "Snowy mountains") are an archipelago of New Zealand, lying south of the South Island. The main Auckland Island, occupying , is surrounded by smaller Adams Islan ...

, and the species authority is Montagne 1842. It is found around

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

from

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and around Australia and New Zealand including

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 19 ...

.Contreras-Porcia, L., Callejas, S., Thomas, D., Sordet, C., Pohnert, G., Contreras, A., Lafuente, A., Flores-Molina, M.R. & Correa, J.A.. (2012). Seaweeds early development: detrimental effects of desiccation and attenuation by algal extracts. Planta 235: 337-348. In the Chilean cuisine it is known as ''luche''.

Description

The morphology of this species is variable, the fronds vary in shape and color. They can measure up to 10 cm long, they are flat, lobed at the edges and in some cases wavy. The color can vary from light brown, yellow and in some cases with light red to discolored edges. In the margins, the reproductive structures are presented, which when they are released, have a whitish coloration.

Gastronomy

In Chile the algae are collected from the shore, smoked or cured, then a kind of pressed tortilla is formed, also called "pan de luche" (''luche'' loaf), which are marketed in craft markets in different parts of the country with greater emphasis on the South of Chile. This seaweed is used for the preparation of stews and casseroles, being famous in the country the dish known as '' cazuela chilota'', a soup with Southern laver, potatoes and pieces of lamb.

References

External links

Seaweed Association of New Zealand

at Auckland University School of Biological Sciences * Edible seaweeds Māori cuisine Bangiophyceae {{vegetable-stub