Alan Davidson

Awo-Nori

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

awo-nori sometimes spelled aonori, the Japanese name of a green seaweed, Monostroma latissima, and also of a seasoning prepared from it. The name means ‘green nori’, nori being the Japanese name for the most important of the red seaweeds, but used also of certain green and brown ones.

This green seaweed grows in tissue-thin broad ‘leaves’, perforated by numerous holes. It is sold as dried sheets as well as in powdered form for use as a condiment.

Other kinds of aonori include suji-aonori (Enteromorpha prolifera, called limu ele’ele in Hawaii) and usuba-aonori (E. linza, a worldwide species), both of which have a spicy aroma.