Edible seaweed, orsea vegetables, areseaweeds that can be eaten and used forculinary purposes.^[1] They typically contain high amounts offiber.^[2][3] They may belong to one of several groups ofmulticellularalgae: thered algae,green algae, andbrown algae.^[2] Seaweeds are also harvested or cultivated for theextraction ofpolysaccharides^[4] such asalginate,agar andcarrageenan,gelatinous substances collectively known ashydrocolloids orphycocolloids. Hydrocolloids have attained commercial significance, especially in food production as food additives.^[5] The food industry exploits the gelling, water-retention,emulsifying and other physical properties of these hydrocolloids.^[6]

Most edible seaweeds are marine algae whereas most freshwater algae are toxic. Some marine algae contain acids that irritate the digestion canal, while others can have alaxative and electrolyte-balancing effect.^[7] Most marine macroalgae are nontoxic in normal quantities, but members of the genusLyngbya are potentially lethal.^[8] Typically, poisoning is caused by eating fish which have fed onLyngbya or on other fish which have done so;^[8] this is calledciguatera poisoning.^[8] HandlingLyngbya majuscula can also causeseaweed dermatitis.^[9] Some species ofDesmarestia are highly acidic, withvacuoles ofsulfuric acid that can cause severegastrointestinal disorders.^[8]

Seaweeds are used extensively as food in coastal cuisines around the world, particularly inEast Asia,Southeast Asia, and thePacific Islands. Edible seaweeds are especially prominent in the cuisines ofChina,Japan,Korea, thePhilippines, andHawaii.^[10][11] Seaweeds are also traditionally consumed inIndonesia,Malaysia,Singapore,Vietnam,Myanmar, andSri Lanka, as well as in the islands ofMicronesia,Melanesia, andPolynesia.^[10] TheMāori people ofNew Zealand traditionally used a few species of red and green seaweed,^[12] Several species are also eaten byIndigenous Australians.^[13]

Seaweed is also consumed in many traditional European societies, inIceland and westernNorway, the Atlantic coast ofFrance, northern and westernIreland,Wales and some coastal parts ofSouth West England,^[14] as well asNew Brunswick,Nova Scotia, andNewfoundland and Labrador. Cooking with seaweed flakes has become more and more popular in the western hemisphere.^[15]

Seaweeds are a good source of nutrients such asproteins,vitamins,minerals, and dietary fiber.Polyphenols,polysaccharides, andsterols, as well as otherbioactive molecules, are mainly responsible for the healthy properties associated with seaweed. If seaweeds are compared to terrestrial plants, they have a higher proportion of essentialfatty acids aseicosapentaenoic (EPA) anddocosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids.^[16]

Seaweed contains high levels ofiodine,tyrosine relative to other foods.^[17] It is also rich incalcium andmagnesium.^[18]

Seaweed is a possible vegan source ofVitamin B12.^[19] The vitamin is obtained from symbiotic bacteria.^[20] However, theAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics considers seaweed to be an unreliable source of Vitamin B12 for human nutrition.^[21]

Seaweed are used in multiple cuisines:

• seaweed (Nori) wrapped sushi, maki
• seaweed in soup, stew, hot pot
• seaweed in salad
• seaweed snacks (eg. Tong Garden, Dae Chun Gim)
• seaweed garnish (furikake)
• seaweed ininstant noodles (eg. Jongga, Four Seas, Nongshim)

Non-human feed:

• seaweed as food for livestock^[22]
• seaweed as food for fish (aquariums & fish farms)

Seaweeds are rich inpolysaccharides that could potentially be exploited asprebiotic functional ingredients for both human and animal health applications. Prebiotics are non-digestible, selectively fermented compounds that stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial gut microbiota which, in turn, confer health benefits on the host.^[23] In addition, there are several secondary metabolites that are synthesized by algae such asterpenoids,oxylipins,phlorotannins, volatilehydrocarbons, and products of mixed biogenetic origin. Therefore, algae can be considered as a natural source of great interest, since they contain compounds with numerous biological activities and can be used as a functional ingredient in many technological applications to obtainfunctional foods.Polysaccharides in seaweed may be metabolized in humans through the action of bacterial gutenzymes. Such enzymes are frequently produced in Japanese population due to their consumption of seaweeds.^[24]

Chondrus crispus (commonly known as Irish moss) is another red alga used in producing various food additives, along withKappaphycus and variousgigartinoid seaweeds.

As anutraceutical product, some edible seaweeds are associated withanti-inflammatory,anti-allergic,antimutagenic,antitumor,antidiabetic,antioxidant,antihyperthensive andneuroprotective properties.^{[citation needed]} Edible red macroalgae such asPalmaria palmata (Dulse),Porphyra tenera (Nori), andEisenia bicyclis have been measured as a relevant source of "alternativeprotein, minerals, and, eventually,fiber."^[25]

Feeding the seaweedAsparagopsis taxiformis to cows can reduce their methane emissions.^[26]

In some parts of Asia,nori 海苔 (in Japan),zicai 紫菜 (in China), andgim 김 (in Korea), sheets of the dried red algaPorphyra are used in soups or to wrapsushi oronigiri.

Japanese cuisine has common names for seven types of seaweed, and thus the term for seaweed in Japanese is used primarily in scientific applications, and not in reference to food.

Agar-agar (kanten 寒天) is also widely used as a substitute forgelatin.^[27] Its use in Japan is believed to have been discovered accidentally by an innkeeper named Mino Tarōzaemon in the 17th century. However this origin is legendary.^[28]

The dish often served in western Chinese restaurants as 'Crispy Seaweed' is not seaweed but cabbage that has been dried and then fried.^[29]

• 
  Roasted sheets ofnori are used to wrapsushi
• 
  Dasima (kelp)
• 
  Kombu
• 
  Cakes and Food Made of Seaweed by Kubo Shunman, 19th century
• 
  Green tea flavoredyōkan, a popular Japanesered bean jelly made fromagar
• 
  Sea grapes, a tropical edible seaweed, are also eaten in Japan, either imported from thePhilippines (where it originates) or grown inOkinawa
• 
  Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) is an ingredient especially inSouth Korea andJapan.

Sea grapes (Caulerpa lentillifera andCaulerpa racemosa) andGusô (Eucheuma spp.) are traditionally eaten in the cuisines of Southeast Asia (as well as inOceania).^[30] These edible warm-water seaweed were first commercially cultivated in thePhilippines. In the northern Philippines, the cold-water red seaweedsPorphyra atropurpurea,Pyropia vietnamensis,Halymenia formosa, and related species are also traditionally harvested from the wild and dried into black nori-like sheets calledgamet which are used as ingredients in cooking.^{[31][32][33][10]}

Numerous other species of seaweeds are traditionally eaten in Southeast Asia, mainly in the Philippines, but also inIndonesia (especially eastern Indonesia),Malaysia,Singapore,Vietnam, andMyanmar. These include some members of the generaChaetomorpha,Enteromorpha,Hydroclathatrus,Padina,Sargassum,Palisada,Agardhiella,Gracilaria,Halymenia,Laurencia,Hypnea,Liagora, andSarcodia.^[10]

In the Philippines, a traditionalgelling ingredient isgulaman, which is made fromagar (first attested inSpanish dictionaries in 1754)^[34] andcarrageenan (first attested in c.1637)^[35] traditionally extracted mainly fromGracilaria spp. andEucheuma spp. that grow in shallow marine coastal areas in the Philippines. In modern times, they are also mass-produced in the pioneering tropicalseaweed farming industry in the country. It is also used as a substitute for gelatin. It is widely used in various traditional desserts.^[36][37][38] Carrageenan as a gelatin substitute has also spread to other parts ofSoutheast Asia, like inIndonesia, where it is used for desserts likees campur.

Seaweed is also processed into noodles by residents ofTiwi,Albay, which can be cooked intopancit canton,pancit luglug,spaghetti orcarbonara.^[39]

• 
  A disc of driedgamet from theNorthern Luzon, Philippines
• 
  Sea grapes (Caulerpa lentillifera) were originally cultivated in thePhilippines. They are usually eaten raw with vinegar, as a snack or in a salad.^[40]
• 
  Gusô (Eucheuma spp.), another edible tropical seaweed species originally cultivated in thePhilippines. They are eaten fresh, similar to sea grapes, or processed intocarrageenan.
• 
  Buko pandan, a dessert beverage from the Philippines made withpandan-flavored cubes ofgulaman, a traditional jelly-like ingredient made fromagar orcarrageenan
• 
  Es campur, a popular dessert fromIndonesia which also usecarrageenan jellies

Common edible seaweeds^[41][10][42] include:

• Aquaculture of giant kelp – Cultivation of seaweed
• Seaweed farming – Farming of aquatic seaweed
• Seaweed oil

Wikimedia Commons has media related toEdible seaweed.

• Seaweeds used as human food anFAO report

• Edible seaweeds
• Japanese cuisine
• Filipino cuisine

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