ONCE confined to sushi bars and experimental kitchens, today seaweed is emerging as an unlikely star of Spanish cuisine.
After a string of celebrity chefs brought algae onto Michelin starred menus and TV shows, it has now gone mainstream.
A seaweed harvester, Antonio Muinos, has seen the market grow by 20% over the last few years.
His company Porto Muinos sells about 32 varieties of seaweed harvested from the Galician coast, where the majority of Spain’s algae comes from.
Some 551,831 kg of seaweed are auctioned in Galician fish markets each year.
Far from its roots in haute-cuisine, seaweed is now used by local businesses in pizza and dough, as well as traditional tortilla, to give customers a taste of the sea.
Galician schools are also now considering putting algae on menus, in particular for its nutritional and health benefits. It is rich in nutrients including vitamins A, C, E, K and B, potassium and iron.
The ‘vegetable of the sea’ is also high in fibre and is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, which protect against chronic illness.
Munois is concerned, though, that climate change could seriously impact the availability of seaweed., with sea temperatures in Galicia reaching 20°C last summer.
As temperatures rise, the number of species decreases and the harvest window shortens.
Seaweed’s rise in Spain reflects changing tastes, but its future supply may be affected by warming waters.
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