If you’ve ever eaten sushi you’ll be familiar with nori, which is the seaweed that is used to wrap maki rolls. You’ll find nori sold in several forms: sheets, flakes and powder. The sheets are ready to use for rolling into maki rolls or slicing into strips for garnishing. The flakes and powder are also used for this purpose and add a lovely flavour to soups and salads, while increasing the mineral content considerably. If you would like to purchase raw nori, make sure it is black or deep purple in colour – green nori has been roasted.
- Nori has the highest protein content and is the most easily digested of all the sea veggies.
- Nori helps to lower cholesterol.
About Sea Vegetables
The term “sea vegetable” of course refers to “seaweed”, but that doesn’t sound all that appealing to eat! Sea vegetables are remarkable foods — some of the most under-rated in the Western world. Most sea vegetables contain ten to twenty times the minerals of land plants and an abundance of vitamins and other elements necessary to maintain a strong and healthy body. They are so powerful in fact that, like superfoods, sea vegetables can be used as both sustenance and medicine.
Buying
Look for sea vegetables at health food stores and be sure they are sold in tightly sealed packages. Avoid those that have evidence of excessive moisture. Certain types of sea vegetables contain remnants of their natural environment, so be sure to pick through them before eating to remove any stones, sand, or shell bits.
Storing
Store sea vegetables in tightly sealed containers (glass and ceramic are best) at room temperature where they can stay fresh for at least several months.