Ethnobotany of seaweeds: clues to uses of seaweeds

Abstract

Extensive uses of fresh and dried seaweeds by coastal populations over the world can furnish clues to potential food and other uses of seaweeds, just as the first ‘extraction’ of a seaweed ‘gelatin’ now used for bacteriological purposes was discovered by a housewife in search of a pudding. Ethnic uses as food depend heavily on closely related species suitable for making cool, ‘gelatinous’ dishes or concoctions, or on species suitable for adding to soups or stews. Rarely, single species like cochajugo (Durvillea antarctica) in Chile and rimu (Durvillea antarctica) in New Zealand point to different kinds of food preparation. Oriental cuisine incorporates many different species of seaweeds in a wide variety of ways, whereas commercial western uses depend upon extracts of wall materials to suspend, emulsify or stabilize a broad variety of foods and products.