78 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



kelp (Laminaria) , and agar (certain species of 

 Gelidium) are those which are most highly valued 

 for food. 



It is said that the Japanese have learned from 

 the Chinese the varied uses of seaweed. Whether or 

 not this is true, it is known that the Chinese have 

 utilized seaweeds for many centuries. Chinese cooks 

 are expert in serving seaweed dishes. A "cabbage" 

 called pdk-soy is made from dried seaweed. Algae 

 are used in nearly all of the Chinese soup stocks, and 

 in many sauces. They cook rice, fish, and vegetables 

 with many species of seaweeds. Agar is used in bread, 

 cakes, and also in candies and other sweets. 



The Malays and other peoples of the Indian 

 Archipelago collect great quantities of seaweeds 

 from the warm tropical waters where algae flourish 

 abundantly. They boil them to obtain a jelly, which 

 is either used as such, or frozen, then thawed, and 

 dried. Large quantities of the weeds are also dried 

 for general cooking purposes. 



A peculiar sauce, called noachman, is prepared by 

 the inhabitants of Cochin China. One can scarcely 

 believe that this odoriferous sauce is used as a con- 

 diment, as its odor is obnoxious to most persons from 

 the Occident. It is manufactured on a very large 

 scale from mixed seaweeds, which are reduced to a 

 jelly by boiling and then mixed with a concentrated 

 sauce made from garlic. The mixture is emulsified 

 with fish-oil and water. This powerful condiment is 

 to be found on all of the restaurant tables of the 

 Far East, where it is used as Worcestershire sauce 

 is in England and America. 



