One of the science breakthroughs that truly suggest that we are in the 21st Century is the development of seaweed that is healthier than kale and yet, when fried, tastes like bacon, according to a Thursday story in Gizmag. Thus, modern science seems to have combined two trendy foods, one that is healthy but is at best an acquired taste and the other that is delicious beyond the dreams of gluttony but is also a cardiologist’s dream.
The seaweed was developed in the lab by Scientists at Oregon State University (OSU). It is a new form of a plant called dulse that has been eaten by people in Northern Europe for quite some time and is used in dietary supplements. It has been growing in tanks at OSU for the past 15 years, but its bacon-like qualities have apparently only recently discovered, thanks to a project being conducted by OSU’s School of Business. . The seaweed even has a reddish color that makes it look like bacon.
Besides using dulse as a bacon/kale substitute, the Huffington Post reports that plans are being made to sell dulse chips, jerky, trail mix, and even salad dressing. One can even use dulse to wrap meat with to dry age it. Dulse can even be used in baking to balance sweetness with savory. The seaweed can even be used raw as part of a salad.
No firm word exist as to exactly when dulse products will start appearing on supermarket shelves. However, one is fascinated by the idea of it seeing sprung as a surprise ingredient for one of the competition cooking shows, such as “Iron Chef” or “MasterChef.”
