Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Oarweed along with all the Oarweed containing recipes presented on this site, with 18 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Oarweed as a major wild food ingredient.

Oarweed, Laminaria digitata, (also known as Common Kelp, Tangle, Fingerweed, Fingerware and Kombu) is a brown alga (and a member of the Laminariaceae family [kelp]) that represents one of 15 species commonly referred to as 'kelp' but is by far the most common form in the North Atlantic. It grows grows profusely in the upper sublittoral zone in sheltered or moderately exposed sites and individuals exposed at low tide flop over on the substratum. It is very common in the lower intertidal and shallow subtidal growing on rock and often forms extensive meadows in low water. In terms of relatives, it is closely related to the five species (Saccharina latissima, Saccharina japonica, Laminaria angustata, Laminaria longissima and Laminaria ochotensis) typically harvested as 'Kombu' in Japan and is frequently harvested and sold as kombu in North America. Indeed, any recipe calling for Kombu can be made with this form of kelp. They are brown seaweeds, with elongated, branched, fronds that that can grow to 1.5m in length.

Laminaria digitata are attached to anchor stones with a claw-like holdfast attached to a smooth, flexible stipe which divides to the finger-like laminate blades that radiate out like the fingers from the palm of the hand (hence the Latin name for this sea-weed). It can be distinguished from close relatives in that it tends to be dark in colour, (Laminaria hyperborea, which is very similar, is lighter in colour has a longer and thicker stipe which is circular) and has a stipe that is oval in cross-section and which is very flexible and does not snap easily when bent.

As an edible seaweed it can be substituted in any Japanese recipe calling for 'kombu' and can be shredded and pickled as a condiment. It also dries well for later use. Like all edible kelps, Laminaria digitata is high in glutamic acid, which contributes to the flavour of 'umami' and aids with the mouth feel of foods making them more appetizing. In the past it used to be sold in Scotland as 'tangle' and was described as tasting of peanuts. This is one of the best species of seaweed for drying and grinding into flour.

Kombu (kelp) is a traditional Japanese additive to all kinds of bean-based stews. It is extremely useful in that it provides the umami flavour (making the dish more moreish) as well as speeding-up the cooking time by softening the beans and thickening the stew itself. To use, just add a few strips of dried kombu to the base of the pan, add the beans on top and cook as normal. A 12cm strip of kelp will be enough for a large pot of beans. The seaweed becomes translucent, tender and very tasty after extended boiling.

For other edible seaweed (sea vegetables), see the guide to edible seaweed

References:

[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants