Algae is a common name for a group of different organisms, which include bottom, unicellular and multicellular, as well as some green, blue, red and brown algae.
They have a very different appearance and application - from the role of food additives to fertilizers for agricultural structures. The two largest and most well-known areas in which seaweed is used are food preparation and cosmetology.
Seaweed in cooking
Cooking is one of the most creative fields of activity, and seafood occupies its rightful place here. The use of seaweed powder is justified here - as a seasoning, alone or in combination with other spices. Dry and canned ingredients find their place in the first and second courses, salads, desserts.
"Seafood" is converted into vitamin supplements, eat as part of sweets and drink as part of cocktails. There are a lot of edible algae - a few dozen, but here we will only talk about a few of the most popular.
Kelp
Many types of seaweed are eaten . To make up for the daily need for iodine, it is enough to eat 30-40 grams of it. A large number of dishes are prepared from kelp: it can be used instead of ordinary cabbage in soups, with meat or fish, in side dishes, it is suitable for sweets, pastils, edible in candied form.
In Japan, from a kombu, as one type of kelp is called there, they prepare a traditional dish - dashi soup. It is also used as a seasoning - many algae in powder are suitable as a flavoring both independently and in mixtures with other spices.
Spirulina
Algae, very rich in protein, up to 77% in it is about three times more than in meat. And of course, it is full-fledged, that is, it contains all the essential amino acids, and in addition to them - useful vitamins, micro and macro elements.
Spirulina can be found on sale in the form of powder (in this form it goes as a dietary supplement) and in the form of tablets. The use of seaweed powder as an additive allows enriching traditional Western dishes with useful components.
Fucus
This brown alga does not have a good taste, so it is often used in dried form as an additive. Fucus contains a large amount of vitamins and macronutrients, including omega-3 acids, polysaccharides, it is able to reduce body fat and cholesterol.
Nori
Under this name is hidden red seaweed porphyry. Included in a traditional South Wales dish - “miner's breakfast” - along with sausages, fried eggs and fried bacon and tomatoes. Not all porphyry species are edible, but nori is usually understood to mean precisely these edible species that grow not only near Japan, but also not far from Wales and China.
In nori, as in many other “marine plants”, there is a lot of protein, vitamins and minerals, besides they are perfectly combined with rice, and also serve as a seasoning for noodles. There are many recipes for cooking with them - in traditional Japanese cuisine they are a component of almost a quarter of the recipes of national cuisine.
Dals and Birth
Dals has long been used as food in Ireland and Scotland, on store shelves it can be found in dried form. Birth is the ingredient in Icelandic cuisine, where it was considered a cure for many diseases.
"Salt" from marine plants
Algal salt is one of the most convenient forms that can be found on sale. Not everyone loves algae and is able to learn how to cook them. However, almost everyone uses salt.
The use of seaweed powder in the form of salt is a convenient culinary option. At the same time, salt from algae has a huge advantage over ordinary sodium chloride. Prepared correctly, it preserves the entire set of micro and macro elements, vitamins, amino acids that a living plant contained. It can be used in the same way as a regular one. In Russia, in stores you can find salt from Fucus and from kelp.
Seaweed seasonings
However, seafood can be used not only in the form of salt. The use of seaweed powder in the form of seasonings is also a very good way to introduce them into the diet. The lightest in this series are nori and dulsa, the strongest are kombu and kelp, and the most salty is wakame.
Cooking them is quite simple: fry in the oven at a low temperature until they darken and become crispy. After crushing in a mortar into fine powder. The resulting powder can be combined with other spices.
Seaweed as cosmetics
Among the most commonly used are kelp, spirulina, fucus. In cosmetology, seaweeds are part of masks, creams, massage oils, and are used for body wraps, baths, and peeling.
Laminaria is valuable in the fight against cellulite, stretch marks and metabolic disorders. In salons, it is found either in the form of micronized powder or thalli. Spirulina, due to its composition, is able to raise skin tone, moisturize and nourish it, and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
Fucus is an effective tool for the prevention of stretch marks, the fight against wrinkles and cellulite. It has a detoxifying effect on the body. In cosmetology, it is most often used in the form of an extract, oil or micronized powder.