Dulse (Palmaria palmate) is a type of seaweed or, more specifically, a red
algae. It grows along the northern Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, where it is
harvested in late summer at low tide and spread out on nets to dry in the sun.
Dulse is highly prized as a nutritious food in Canada, the northeastern United
States, Iceland and Northern Ireland. In fact, it is traditionally served at the
annual Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle, County Antrim. Along the west coast of
Ireland, dillisk, or dried dulse, is sold by street vendors. Similarly, dulse
has been a traditional food in Iceland for centuries, where it is known as söl
and enjoyed with butter. Other common names for this sea vegetable include
dilsk, creathnach, sea lettuce and sea parsley.
Dulse is an abundant source of minerals and vitamins. It contains a
significant amount of iron, B complex vitamins and essential trace minerals.
It is also high in fiber and protein. Dulse is particularly high in
potassium and, as might be expected, iodine. The plant also contains the
antioxidant vitamins C and E.
The earliest surviving evidence of dulse being harvested for food was
recorded more than 1,400 years ago by the monks of St. Columba Monastery in
Derry, Ireland, the settlement that honors the patron saint of the city by
the same name. Today, dulse is commonly served as a snack food at cocktail
parties, a treat particularly enjoyed by partygoers along the southwestern
coast of Ireland.
The seaweed is also recognized as representing umami, or the “fifth taste.”
While the concept of umami has been around for centuries, the mechanism that
defines it has only recently come to be understood. In short, umami is the
distinctive flavor produced when foods that contain free glutamates combine,
such as French fries and ketchup. The result is flavor enhancement of both
foods experienced on the tongue as savory, as opposed to sweet, salty, sour
or hot. Incidentally, Kikunae Ikeda, the same researcher that identified the
umami quality of dulse and other seaweeds, was later inspired to develop the
flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, or MSG.
Although dulse has only captured the fancy of Americans in fairly recent
times, there is no shortage of culinary creativity in its use. In addition
to being used as a powdered flavor enhancer and natural alternative to MSG,
the dried seaweed is fried in oil to make snack chips, baked with cheese or
sauce, spread on sandwiches and pizza, and added to salads, soups and stews.
