Kelp is a type of seaweed or algae and belongs to the order Laminariales. Many people mistake kelp for a plant due to its appearance and the manner in which it grows. There are approximately 30 genera of kelp.
Kelp is actually a protest and can be found growing in underwater in forests. They will thrive in clear, shallow water with a temperature below 20˚C / 68˚F. Kelp is anchored to the ocean floor by a holdfast and it consists of stems and leaves which are called stipes and blades. Kelp is often found washed up on the beach and would usually be referred to simply as seaweed by passers by. It grows incredibly quickly and is both a source of food and protection for a wide variety of marine life. It plays many important roles in the ecosystem. Kelp has air-filled bladders that look like mini oceanic blimps and buoy the blades to the surface of the water. The bladders often wash up on shore along with the rest of the kelp and can be ‘popped’.
One of the most common historical uses for kelp is as an ingredient in soap or glass. Both substances use soda ash as a primary ingredient. Soda ash was traditionally obtained by burning kelp. Although soda ash can now be created in a lab, kelp still harvested for alginate, a carbohydrate that is used as a thickening agent in jelly, ice cream, toothpaste and a number of other products and foods. Japanese cuisine also makes extensive use of kelp as a garnish as well as using dried sheets of the seaweed to wrap sushi in.
Kelp can be used in a vast number of dishes. This multi-use ingredient works well not only as a garnish, but also as a vegetable, or simply as a flavouring. There are a number of Japanese snack foods that use kelp as a main ingredient. The taste is distinctive and bursting with flavour although not necessarily to everyone’s palate.
On the other side of the world, the Scottish are also well versed with the uses of kelp. They were once primary harvesters of this seaweed when they were displaced from their farmlands in the 18th and 19th centuries: Soda ash provided an alternate livelihood that saved many families during tough financial times. Despite the industry having become obsolete in more recent years, the Scottish haven’t entirely given up on kelp: It is presently a widely used fertilizer.
Kelp is actually a protest and can be found growing in underwater in forests. They will thrive in clear, shallow water with a temperature below 20˚C / 68˚F. Kelp is anchored to the ocean floor by a holdfast and it consists of stems and leaves which are called stipes and blades. Kelp is often found washed up on the beach and would usually be referred to simply as seaweed by passers by. It grows incredibly quickly and is both a source of food and protection for a wide variety of marine life. It plays many important roles in the ecosystem. Kelp has air-filled bladders that look like mini oceanic blimps and buoy the blades to the surface of the water. The bladders often wash up on shore along with the rest of the kelp and can be ‘popped’.
One of the most common historical uses for kelp is as an ingredient in soap or glass. Both substances use soda ash as a primary ingredient. Soda ash was traditionally obtained by burning kelp. Although soda ash can now be created in a lab, kelp still harvested for alginate, a carbohydrate that is used as a thickening agent in jelly, ice cream, toothpaste and a number of other products and foods. Japanese cuisine also makes extensive use of kelp as a garnish as well as using dried sheets of the seaweed to wrap sushi in.
Kelp can be used in a vast number of dishes. This multi-use ingredient works well not only as a garnish, but also as a vegetable, or simply as a flavouring. There are a number of Japanese snack foods that use kelp as a main ingredient. The taste is distinctive and bursting with flavour although not necessarily to everyone’s palate.
On the other side of the world, the Scottish are also well versed with the uses of kelp. They were once primary harvesters of this seaweed when they were displaced from their farmlands in the 18th and 19th centuries: Soda ash provided an alternate livelihood that saved many families during tough financial times. Despite the industry having become obsolete in more recent years, the Scottish haven’t entirely given up on kelp: It is presently a widely used fertilizer.
