Green laver is also known as sea lettuce. Scientific name of Green Laver is Ulva lactuca and it is one of the highly nutritious seaweeds. Green laver is sometimes referred as ‘aonori’ or green seaweed. This green algae is now commercially cultivated in some Asian countries including Japan and Taiwan.

It is an edible green algae that is found naturally growing along the sea coasts of all regions. Clean cultivation of sea lettuce is necessary to make it free of toxic contaminants.

Fresh, clean, hygienically cultivated sea lettuce may be consumed raw by adding in salads and sandwiches. Sea lettuce vegetables are a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals. It is rich in iron and soluble dietary fiber. Sea lettuce may be cooked as vegetables and used as an ingredient in soups and stews.

Dried and powdered laver seaweeds are used in soups and as a flavouring agent in some Japanese food preparations such as fried noodles, Japanese pancake, and Japanese potato chips. For maximum flavouring and seasoning effect, the aromatic powder is sprinkled on the hot food after serving. Laver is a favourite among the Welsh people also and there it is commonly used for making laver bread, a traditional Welsh delicacy.

Preparation of Laver Bread: Fresh laver is collected, cleaned well under running water. Clean laver is placed in a vessel and add adequate amount of water and boil it for several hours until it is cooked well. Cooked laver is then made into a puree. The gelatinous paste of laver is then rolled in oatmeal and fried to make laver bread.

Laver as a Side Dish: Cooked laver is used as a side dish along with meat preparations such as mutton and bacon. For cooking laver, fresh laver seaweeds are cleaned thoroughly before placing it in a vessel and heat it. While heating, add adequate amounts of butter and lime juice or orange juice. Mix it well and serve hot.

Nutrition in Green Laver: Green Laver seaweeds are a group of green algae that is rich in iodine and iron. It contains easily digestible protein and considerable amounts of dietary fibre. It is low in sugars, rich in minerals particularly, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. It is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate.

PURPLE LAVER: Nori (Porphyra spp.) or Purple Laver includes a large number of species such as Porphyra yezoensis, P. tenera, P. umbilicalis and Porphyra spp. However, the original Nori is Porphyra yezoensis. This belongs to the family Bangiophyceae. Nori is deep purplish-coloured edible seaweed of temperate regions. It is also known as purple laver because of its purple colour. This seaweed is normally seen on growing as a thin layer on rock surfaces or other hard substrate surfaces along the sea shores.

Nutritional Value of Nori: Nutritional value of nori is very high. It is rich in three essential amino acids such as alanine, glutamic acid and glycine. Due to the presence of glutamic acid, nori can be used as a food additive to enhance the taste of the food preparations. Nori is rich in provitamin A. Dried nori contains large amounts of protein, ash, vitamins and carbohydrate. The fat present in nori is of great nutritional value as more than 60% of them are omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Food Value of Nori: Nori is considered as a luxury food in Japan. Nori is familiar in many countries as a major ingredient in sushi preparations. Nori is used as a flavouring agent in noodle and soup preparations.

Preparation of Nori for Food Purposes: Freshly harvested fronds of nori are chopped, and then pressed between two bamboo mats for drying. Nori can be dried either in the sun or in the drying rooms. Properly dried nori will have a purplish black color. Dried flakes of nori are stored in air tight containers as it is hygroscopic (i.e. absorbs moisture). High quality Nori is mild-tasting.  These purplish-black nori sheets are used to wrap around rice in sushi cuisines of Japan.

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