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| Lowell aka "Japs" Godfrey with freshly harvested seaweed. Photo by Sarah Hewitt |
Seaweed smoothie anyone? If you aren’t familiar with the
wonderful world of edible seaweeds, you might be imagining a green, vaguely
fishy and definitely unappetizing concoction. Perhaps your only culinary
encounter with seaweed has been
nori wrapped
around raw fish at a sushi bar, but here in Placencia, Belize one variety (
Eucheuma isiforme), is a prized
ingredient in smoothies and shakes, making them thick and creamy while adding important
minerals. There is usually plenty of
Eucheuma
in Placencia thanks to a seaweed growing initiative run by the Placencia
Producers Cooperative. The term seaweed refers to marine algae, commonly
grouped into brown, red and green types, making up around 12,000 different
species. Very few are inedible and some are quite tasty. Belize, along with a
number of its Caribbean neighbors, has for generations used the red algae
Eucheuma isiforme and
Gracilaria sp, simply called “seaweed”, in
the preparation of puddings and drinks. This knowledge of using seaweeds for
their thickening qualities was probably brought over from the United Kingdom
and Ireland, where use of another red algae, Irish Moss (
Chondrus Crispus), dates back centuries.
The thickening qualities of these seaweeds are caused by
water soluble gums known as hydrocolloids, including alginates and carrageenan.
Carrageenan helps form the cell walls of
Eucheuma
isiforme, making up 40 to 75% of its total weight. This is what makes
Placencia’s famous seaweed punch and sea weed smoothies so silky smooth and
thick. In industrial food processing hydrocolloids derived from seaweed are
used as thickeners in many foods from yogurts to ice creams, as well as
cosmetic products.
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This photo of a seaweed shake at The Shak Beach Cafe in Placencia, Belize is courtesy of TripAdvisor |
Ask any Belizean and we will tell you, seaweed is good for
you. In fact, we say its “good fi di back” (good for the back), which means it
will supposedly increase sexual performance, stamina and reproductive health.
Certainly it won’t hurt-
Eucheuma sp. are
simply packed with nutrients. They are
high
in protein (almost 10% of dry weight, comparable with the protein content of
soybeans) and 25% dietary fiber, 18% of which is soluble. They contain 46% ash,
and are a wonderful source of sodium (1771.84 mg per 100 grams of dry weight
seaweed), potassium (13,155 mg per 100 grams of dry weight seaweed), magnesium
(271.33 mg per 100 g) and calcium (329.69 mg per 100 g), with significant
quantities of iron (2.61 mg per 100 g), zinc (4.3 mg per 100 g), selenium (.59
mg per 100 g) and iodine (9.24 mg per 100 g). Just to give you a little
comparison, low fat milk contains only 125 mg of calcium as compared to 329.69
mg in our favorite seaweed. The banana, long touted as a great source of
potassium, only contains 358 mg of this handy mineral. The whopping 13,155 mg
per 100 grams of potassium found in our favorite seaweed makes
Eucheuma the best food to consume after
a hard workout, preferably in a nice smoothie with lowfat milk, cacao nibs and
bananas. Convinced? Good. Now go get yourself some seaweed!
It makes perfect sense to try a seaweed punch by the sea,
and The Shak, located right next to Placencia’s main pier, is a great place to
do it. This locally owned inviting beachside restaurant has the classic nutmeg
and vanilla (similar to a thick and creamy egg nog), plus 29 other flavours,
served in a laid back tropical atmosphere with hammocks to match. Brewed
Awakenings, located on the main street at the north edge of downtown Placencia,
offers coffee but is more famous for their many different flavours of decadent
seaweed shakes, including oreo, peanut butter, coffee, all kinds of fruits and a
healthy green (with spinach and tropical fruits). Try a classic seaweed punch
at The Galley restaurant or Omar’s Creole Grub along with your dinner or go for
The Galley’s premium version with a shot of rum or cognac! Whatever flavor you
try, don’t miss out on seaweed while you are in Belize! If you want to read more about Placencia's seaweed farming, check out
this article by Sarah Hewitt. You can follow the latest updates on Placencia's seaweed farming initiative at
their facebook page.
Labels: Belize Stories, Belizean food, Beverage
