Wakame

Wakame is one of the most popular sea vegetables in the Japanese diet. It appears in miso soups, noodle dishes, salads, sashimi, and simmered dishes. Manuscripts from the ninth century show that the ancient Japanese already knew the nutritional importance of wakame.

Wakame can be written in Japanese kanji characters in either of two combinations: as the characters for young and woman, or as the characters for young and bud. Both of these are pronounced waka-me. As the characters convey, wakame has always been regarded as a healthful food that prevents our bodies from aging.