Wakame

Also known asUndaria pinnatifida · 裙带菜

Name: Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) — a soft, silky, dark green brown seaweed, sold dried or salted, which swells to many times its size when soaked, and is best known in miso soup and seaweed salad.

Description

Wakame has been eaten in Japan and Korea since ancient times, and is farmed on ropes in cool coastal waters. In Korea, wakame soup (miyeok-guk) is traditionally eaten by new mothers after childbirth, and by everyone on their birthday. It is also the green seaweed in miso soup and the “seaweed salad” served in Japanese restaurants.

Wakame has a mild, slightly sweet, briny flavour and a silky, tender texture, which is less chewy than kombu. It is also considered an invasive species outside Asia, and has spread on ship hulls to places such as Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Main nutrition value

Wakame provides iodine, calcium, magnesium, folate and fibre, and contains fucoxanthin, a pigment studied for its antioxidant properties.

How best to be consumed

Wakame is soaked briefly, and added at the end of cooking.

1. Soak dried wakame in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze out the water.
2. Add to miso soup and clear soups in the last minute.
3. Dress with rice vinegar, sesame oil and cucumber for a Japanese salad.
4. Simmer in beef or seafood broth, as in Korean miyeok-guk.
5. Use sparingly, since a small amount expands a lot.

Overconsumption could cause…

Wakame is safe in food amounts, with iodine and salt the main concerns.

1. Too much iodine, which can disrupt thyroid function, so heavy or regular intake is not advised for people with thyroid conditions, and in pregnancy a limit applies.
2. High sodium in some dried and seasoned sea vegetable products.
3. Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and arsenic, which seaweed can absorb from seawater, so buy from reputable sources and do not eat large amounts every day.
4. Possible effects on blood clotting from vitamin K, for people on warfarin, so keep intake steady.

GroupsSea VegetablesSeaweed and algaeHigh sodiumLow fatRich in folateJapanese

Related foodsNoriHijikiKombuSea GrapesKelpDulse

Wikipedia — Wakame, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakame