It has been said that at the end of the Edo period, an American who came to Japan by the great Black Ship reported that Japanese “live in houses made of paper and wood and eat black sheets of paper.” You might say, “How rude of him to say that.” However, the American’s expression is not totally wrong. It is true that traditional Japanese houses are made of wood and inside the house, Japanese-style fittings called shoji and fusuma – doors and partitions – are really made of wood and paper. Well then, do the Japanese really eat black sheets of paper?
That black sheet of paper is actually nori (dried seaweed). Yes, it is an edible black sheet of paper. Nori is one of the essential foods in the Japanese diet. Now that Japanese sushi is popular all over the world, many people probably know nori is a fine food made of seaweed. However, maybe because many western people are reluctant to eat sushi rolls with black sheets on the outside, California rolls are made inside out; nori is rolled inside the rice.
Nori has been highly valued as a premium food item since around the 7th century. Only a limited number of people knew its delicious taste. It was only after the Edo period that common people were able to acquire nori. Tokugawa Iyeyasu, who established the Edo Shogenate, loved nori very much and promoted the farming of this seaweed. Later, itanori, the nori processed in sheet form, was created incorporating the traditional Japanese paper making method and the nori was later called Asakusa nori. Today this type of sheet nori is used throughout the world.
Nori goes well with rice, our staple food, and onigiri and bento using nori are always popular items for lunch. Why is nori so popular? The seaweed is tasty. Nori contains lots of protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, taurine, EPA, etc. The amino acids contained in nori enrich the flavor of rice. Just lightly roast some nori and eat it. You will know it smells and tastes good all by itself.
In addition to nori, popular dried seaweeds in Japan are hijiki and tengusa. Hijiki, shown above left, used to be a luxury food item like nori and became popular with people after the Edo period. Hijiki cooked with vegetables and aburaage (fried tofu) is used as a staple dish for otoshi (starters) in Izakaya, bento, and set meals at lunchtime. It contains lots of dietary fiber and minerals including calcium and iron. Tengusa, shown above right, is the material used for tokoroten and kanten (agar).
Tokoroten, shown above left, is made from jelly extracted from tengusa by boiling, then cut like noodles. It is mainly served cold with rice vinegar, soy source, and mustard. Tokoroten contains lots of dietary fiber. It has a jelly-like texture and is refreshing when you eat it cold on a hot summer day.
Kanten or agar is made from tokoroten produced during cold months by allowing it to freeze in the field and then drying it. It has a finer texture than tokoroten and smells less of seaweed. Because of its jelly-like texture it is mostly used for sweet desserts. Mitsumame containing boiled kanten cubes, boiled red peas, gyuhi (soft and sweet mochi), and some fruit served with black sugar syrup is one of the most popular Japanese sweets since the Meiji period. Mamekan, shown above right, is a dessert consisting simply of boiled kanten cubes, boiled red peas, and black sugar syrup. It is popular because it’s sweet but light and healthy.
Seaweed, as a whole, is comprised of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates, and is very low in calories. Due to its dietary fiber content, it provides a sense of fullness and tastes good with little seasoning. While dieting, have some tokoroten or kanten sweets when hungry or craving something sweet and you will feel better and be able to shed weight. Though plain-looking, dried seaweed is full of wonderful ingredients and Japanese make great use of it.
Reported by Yukari Aoike, Sugahara Institute