Sea moss is a kind of purple algae discovered naturally within the shores of the North Atlantic. Often known as purple seaweed, Irish moss, or Chondrus crispus, sea moss is usually harvested and used to extract carrageenan, an ingredient that acts as a thickener, stabilizer, and binder in merchandise like almond milk, ice cream, deli meats, and extra.
Sea moss has lately skilled a surge in recognition and has even been hailed as a superfood for pores and skin and intestine well being on TikTok and throughout social media. Nevertheless, it’s truly been round for fairly some time. The truth is, it’s been used as a pure treatment for every thing from diarrhea to dysentery for hundreds of years and was additionally added to natural teas to assist fight colds1. Apparently, sea moss was even added to exploit and used to stop dietary deficiencies in Eire through the potato famine2 of the 1800s.
Sea moss has a gentle taste that’s usually described as earthy and barely salty. When it’s loved contemporary, it has a comfortable, gel-like texture, whereas dried sea moss affords a slight crunch. Nevertheless, it’s not usually eaten by itself and is often paired with different elements to assist tone down the style.
