Seaweed, kelp and seagrass: how to tell the difference
Sea vegetables come in many forms, and sometimes it can be tricky to know what is what. Here's our quick guide to the most common edible kinds.
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Seaweed and kelp species
Seaweed and kelp are macroalgae. In Norway there are 450 species, divided into three groups: brown algae, red algae, and green algae.
Brown algae
- Sugar kelp (kombu)
- Winged kelp (wakame)
- Rockweed
- Serrated wrack (sagtang)
- Bladder wrack
Red algae
Green algae
- Sea lettuce
- Intestinal green (technically belongs to the plant kingdom, but is commonly referred to as algae)
Differences
Think of the shoreline as a garden of greens, home to different edible species. Like land greens, they vary in taste, look, texture, and quality.
Seaweed species grow on rocks along the shore. Like flowers, they grow their newest part from the tip.
Kelp is the larger algae found at the bottom of the shore and out in the sea. It grows like a strand of hair, from the point of attachment up toward the light.
Macroalgae lack roots, but anchor themselves to stones.
Seagrass, by contrast, is a plant that has adapted to marine life. It roots in soft sand or stone in shallow water. There are about 60 seagrass species in Norway, of which eelgrass is the most common and can be found along the entire coast.
Angelita grew up cutting cod tongues and baiting long lines for her fisherman father in the village of Napp. The ocean was a lifeline for her family. But her curiosity around seaweed only arose when she was researching nutrition for her own health. Her discoveries led to a passionate belief that seaweed is the food of the future.
