Laver (seaweed)

Laver (seaweed)

Laver is an edible, littoral alga (seaweed), and has a high content of dietary minerals, particularly iodine and iron. Laver is widely consumed in East Asia, where it is known as zicai in China, nori in Japan, and gim in Korea. In Wales, laver is used for making laverbread, a traditional Welsh dish. Laver as food is also commonly found around the west coast of Britain and east coast of Ireland along the Irish Sea, where it is known as slake.

It is smooth in texture and forms delicate, sheetlike thalli, often clinging to rocks. The principal variety is purple laver (Porphyra umbilicalis). Purple laver is classified as a red alga, tends to be a brownish colour, but boils down to a dark green pulp when prepared. It is unusual amongst seaweeds because the fronds are only one cell thick. The high iodine content gives the seaweed a distinctive flavour in common with olives and oysters.

Ulva lactuca, a green alga, also known as sea lettuce, is occasionally eaten as green laver, which is regarded as inferior to the purple laver.