Wakame
By: Anonymous

About

Wakame is an edible seaweed (as well as very invasive when growing) from Japan. Wakame is a kelp, a thin and stringy seaweed, deep green color and is best used in salads, added to soup or broth, or as a topping to other dishes. In Korea it is used in salads and soups.
It has high levels of calcium, iodine, thiamin, and niacin; but it is also high calorie.

Information
Other names: Fougère Des Mers, Undaria Pinnatifida
Translations: ワカメ, اكامي, 미역, Уакаме, Вакаме, 裙带菜, Вакамэ


Physical Description
very dark in color and generally sold in strips or sheets, oftentimes used as a flavoring for soups.Wakame fronds are green and have a subtly sweet flavour and slippery texture. The leaves should be cut into small pieces as they will expand during cooking.


Selecting and Buying
Choosing: Look for Wakame vegetables that are sold in tightly sealed packages. Avoid those that have evidence of excessive moisture. 
Buying: Wild grown wakame is harvested in Tasmania, Australia, and then sold in restaurants in Sydney.[
Procuring: Wakame vegetables can be found growing both in the marine salt waters as well as in fresh water lakes and seas. They commonly grow on coral reefs or in rocky landscapes, and can grow at great depths provided that sunlight can penetrate through the water to where they reside since, like plants, they need light for their survival. Wakame vegetables are neither plants nor animals but classified in a group known as algae. 



Preparation and Use
When cooking beans, put kombu in the cooking water. It will not only expedite the cooking process, but will improve beans' digestibility by reducing the chemicals that can cause flatulence. Wakame is a rich source of Eicosapentaenoic acid, an Omega-3 fatty acid. At over 400 mg/100 kcal or almost 1 mg/kJ, it has one of the higher nutrient:calorie ratios, and among the very highest for a vegetarian source.[A typical 1-2 tablespoon serving of Wakame is roughly 3.75-7.5 kcals and provides 15-30 mgs of Omega-3's. Wakame also has high levels of calcium, iodine, thiamine and niacin.


Conserving and Storing
Store Wakame vegetables in tightly sealed containers at room temperature where they can stay fresh for at least several months


Social/Political
In Japan and Europe, wakame is distributed either dried or salted, and used in soups (particularly miso soup), and salads (tofu salad), or often simply as a side dish to tofu and a salad vegetable like cucumber. These dishes are typically dressed with soya sauce and vinegar/rice vinegar
History: Japanese and Korean sea-farmers have grown wakame for centuries and they still are the main producers and eaters. Since 1985 wakame is also cultivated in France, in sea fields established near the shores of Brittany