Is Wakame a Seagrass? A Clear Look at Its True Identity

Is wakame a seagrass? Yes. Wakame is a seaweed of the brown algae family Alariaceae (kelp family), hailed as a vegetable of the sea. In China, Dalian in Liaoning, and Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai and other places in Shandong are the main production areas, and the Zhoushan Islands in Zhejiang also produce it.

Wakame belongs to Phaeophyta, Phaeosporophyceae, Laminariales, Alariaceae, Undaria. It is a plant of the seaweed group, with green fronds that split into pinnate lobes; the blades are thinner than those of kelp, shaped like a large torn palm-leaf fan, and also like a skirt ribbon, which is how it got its name.

The nutritional value of wakame

Wakame has a certain nutritional value. The juice of wakame is rich in fucosterol, a substance that can help patients with high cholesterol lower their cholesterol, and can also help the elderly prevent cerebral thrombosis, and additionally help patients with high blood pressure lower their blood pressure. The dietary fiber in wakame has the special function of absorbing cholesterol and expelling it from the body. If fiber-rich beans, vegetables, mushrooms and the like are eaten together, the function of the dietary fiber will be further strengthened.

The harvest period of wakame has a great deal to do with the seawater temperature of that year; generally speaking, it is mainly concentrated between February and May. If fresh wakame harvested from the sea is left sitting instead of being processed right away, it will be digested by the action of wakame's own “enzymes”, losing the distinctive flavor and luster of seaweed within a short time, and the algal body will lose its elasticity. Therefore, in order to be able to eat wakame all year round, people have long since created various processing methods, and the wakame we buy in the market is basically all processed products.