seaweeds marine algae which, insofar as they are used as food, might better be termed ‘sea vegetables’; but this new term has yet to achieve wide currency, perhaps because the ways of preparing and serving seaweeds, and the quantities eaten, seem far removed from vegetable cookery. Japan is undoubtedly the country in which consumption of seaweeds and knowledge about them is highest.
The main edible species, and indeed all seaweeds, fall into three groups, distinguished by their basic coloration (although this can vary according to several factors).
