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Agar agar, natural gelatin

By Adriana Ortemberg Your email (*) print


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Algae are among the oldest living things on the planet and have been consumed throughout history from early man to peoples such as the Aztecs, Japanese, Chinese, Norse, Irish and Scots, among others. Today seaweed is becoming increasingly popular in the cuisine of countries, where it had never been used before or where the tradition had been lost over time.

Algae grow in both salt and fresh water and are classified in three groups: green, brown and red.

Agar agar is a brown algae which, once collected and boiled, release a gelatinous substance, rich in mucilage. It is then dried and packaged.

It is the perfect vegetable-based gelatin and also has numerous health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol. In Japan, it is highly prized for its curative properties, and is used in slimming and beauty treatments. It has zero calories, is highly digestible and cleanses the system, making it great in salads or in green tea jelly.

It’s usually available in three different formats: in strips (the dried mucilage), flaked or powdered. Flakes or powder just need to be mixed with a liquid ingredient and boiled for a few minutes (seconds in the case of powder) until completely dissolved. Strips should be cut, hydrated in water and, when soft, drained and brought to the boil with a little liquid until dissolved completely, about 5 -6 minutes. Agar agar can also be added to salads once soaked and softened, without boiling.

To make a solid jelly, you need approximately  2 gr. of agar agar for every liter of liquid, while jams require three times as much liquid .

Its flavor is neutral, unlike other varieties of marine algae which have a strong flavor of the sea, so it’s suitable for both sweet and savory dishes.

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