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In Germany it is called brush-tufted alga, in Lofoten it is known as grisetangdokke because it looks so gray and hairy.
Its botanical name is
Vertebrata lanosa,
but Tamara Singer and Angelita Erikson have come up with a more appealing name for the seemingly inconspicuous seaweed, which thrives in clumps in ice-cold water and is immune to strong currents.
The two call the plant "Truffle Seaweed", in English: truffle wrack.
"You would be amazed," says Tamara Singer during a video call.
“When the plant comes straight from the sea, it tastes like ocean and fresh truffle.
When dry, the truffle aroma lasts for up to twelve months. ”She adds:“ We once kept the seaweed in the refrigerator for too long.
After that, even the milk tasted like truffles. "
The native New Zealander moved to the Lofoten island Flagstadøy in Northern Norway a few years ago and founded the company Lofoten Seaweed together with her long-time friend Angelita Erikson, the daughter of a local fisherman.
The small company is based in Napp, a fishing village with 200 inhabitants, and specializes in harvesting and processing wild seaweed.
His territory is the stormy coast right on his doorstep.
"The plants grow particularly well in the cold and nutrient-rich water of the North Atlantic," says Singer.
As the daughter of a Japanese mother, she learned to appreciate the taste of seaweed as a child.
The rocky beaches on their doorstep are the territory of Tamara Singer and Angelita Erikson
Source: Lofoten Seaweed
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Larger types of algae are summarized under the name seaweed, which are predominantly grown on the ground.
The business partners and their harvest workers fetch up to eight different varieties from the sea, including yellow-brown sugar kelp, which grows into four-meter-long glib garlands, nori or purple kelp, whose filigree plant bodies are the size of lettuce leaves and are almost transparent, as well as red-brown ragweed, also known as Dulse or Søl, whose silky shoots are said to have served as a staple food for the Vikings.
The tides are strong off the Lofoten Islands, so some varieties can be picked up and collected in buckets without any problems at low tide, while for others the employees have to step into the four-degree cold water in extra-thick wetsuits.
“For that we need good weather and good light,” says Singer.
"Otherwise it will be dangerous."
Algae-flavored potato chips
In order to ensure sustainable management of the algae stocks, the yields, which are around five tons a year wet weight, are precisely recorded and transmitted to the Norwegian fisheries authorities.
“We observed that the seaweed often grows faster in the places where we had previously harvested,” explains Singer.
The seaweed collectors step into the four-degree cold water in extra-thick wetsuits
Source: Lofoten Seaweed
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Their customers include local food manufacturers such as the chocolate manufacturer Craig Alibone from Bodø and gourmet restaurants such as "Michaels" in Oslo or "Matkontoret" in Stavanger.
Most recently, a larger delivery went to the snack producer Sørland, which is refining a new type of potato chips with it.
“You can find these chips in almost every supermarket in Norway,” says Singer.
"This is a giant step for us as a small supplier."
Algae-based foods are not only on the rise in Norway.
You can also find them in well-stocked German supermarkets and delicatessen shops, for example as a tartare or vegetarian spread.
Companies that cultivate and process algae have set up shop on the coasts of Brittany, Galicia and western Sweden.
Seaweed is considered to be the food of the future and is often given the fashionable label “superfood” because it is a renewable raw material that is available in abundance and therefore has the potential to supply parts of the world population with valuable proteins, vitamins and minerals .
Because of its consistency, which takes a bit of getting used to, it has a reputation for being only a joyless substitute for conventional foods - or at best as a raw material for the detached experiments in molecular cuisine.
That tastes of the sea - and bacon: dried dulse leaves
Source: Lofoten Seaweed
But you can also use it to cook comparatively down-to-earth and contemporary dishes that have nothing to do with astronaut food.
The brown-yellow sugar tang is suitable, for example, as a base for a light broth or for wrapping steamed fish and vegetables.
The purple kelp can be eaten as a salad or used in dried and chopped form as a condiment.
And when you deep-fry the red-brown ragweed, its aroma should not be entirely dissimilar to that of crispy bacon.
Lentil curry with winged wrack
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To show how diverse the culinary applications of their goods are, Tamara Singer and Angelita Erikson have developed a series of recipes that you want to try on the spot, such as a lentil curry with winged wrack, which is also marketed under the name "Kelp", a burger with a patty made of rice, sunflower seeds and a blend of three different types of seaweed, as well as arancini - fried rice balls in the Sicilian style - with walnuts, mozzarella, parmesan and nori flakes.
Arrancini with nori sprinkles based on a recipe from Lofoten Seaweed
Source: Lofoten Seaweed
Singer and Erikson make the right ingredients by hand, pack them nicely and sell them through delicatessen shops, souvenir shops and their own online shop: fortified sea salt, dark chocolate with kombu, tagliatelle with winged wrack, dried wakame leaves and algae-based baking mixes that can be served as a savory addition Can use bread, pizza or cookie dough.
Their truffle kelp has already achieved international fame because the Norwegian team led by top chef Christian André Peddersen used it as an ingredient in several dishes at the finals of the renowned Bocuse d'Or cooking competition - and won the competition.
However, the truffle wrack is only suitable to a limited extent for private use.
The herbaceous tufts are small and only grow as a perch on another type of seaweed, the bone wrack.
Their kilo price is therefore around 5000 Norwegian kroner, which corresponds to around 490 euros.
For amateur cooks, Lofoten Seaweed has a type of sea salt in its range that is pepped up with plenty of dried truffle wrack - according to Tamara Singer, the ideal seasoning mix for a seaweed carbonara or a pizza with pears and blue cheese.
This text is from WELT AM SONNTAG.
We are happy to deliver them to your home on a regular basis.
Source: WORLD