81 



after tasting- several times that many people come to really like the 

 marine flavor, common to all raw seaweeds. All the others that the 

 writer has tasted, except those mentioned above, have a much stronger 

 flavor, which is sometimes slightly bitter or suggests iodin, or, again, it 

 is slightly fishy, so that it would not appeal to the average American 

 palate. 



Many of the seaweeds, when cooked in soups, gravies, or with meats 

 or made into jellies, are entirely free from this disagreeable or pecul- 

 iar flavor. If cooked too long, or too large a quantity is used in the 

 soups or jellies, the flavor is apt to be strong, but if used in smaller 

 quantities it is very delicate and pleasant. The writer has carefully 

 tested a number of species, cooking them in a variety of combinations. 

 They seem to be equally palatable when used either fresh or dried. 

 The bleached seaweeds of course make the best appearing jelly and 

 blancmange, and look best in the soups and stews. 



The most attractive and delicately flavored coffee, fruit, or other 

 jellies and blancmange was made by the writer from the four gelat- 

 inous limus mentioned above. They were equal in every way to 

 jellies made from the best gelatins in the market, and in some ways 

 seemed superior in flavor. The blancmange could not be distinguished 

 from that made with Irish moss farina or with the whole Irish moss. 



No doubt these native limus which occur in large quantities could 

 be collected and bleached on the sand or rocks by the natives, and 

 when dry and clean ground into farina or made into gelatin as good 

 as any in the market. The farina made from limu huna, limu man- 

 auea, limu akiaki, and limu pakaeleawaa would be excellent for thick- 

 ening soups, stews, and gravies or puddings in the same way as tapioca, 

 sago, or Irish moss farina. When once the public became acquainted 

 with these preparations without doubt they would become popular. A 

 careful, experienced manufacturer might, it would seem, start a new 

 industry here in Hawaii or on the California coast by utilizing the 

 tons and tons of edible and gelatinous algse in making gelatin or glue, 

 such as that made in Japan, or farina, as on the coast of New England. 

 There is no reason why Hawaiian species could not be made into as 

 good gelatin and glue as the Japanese or Ceylon algse. If scientific 

 methods were used in its preparation, and labor was reasonable, we 

 ought to be able to make our algse as profitable as that of Japan. 

 The many poor Hawaiians living along the beaches, who have no 

 fertile land to cultivate and are only skilled in fishing, swimming, 

 and rowing, could engage in collecting algEe for such a factory. 

 The women and children could help in this industry and all could 

 stay at home together. They would need no tools and no capital or 

 no training for this work. A few simple instructions about clean- 

 ing, drying, and bleaching would be sufficient, for the natives know 

 the haunt of every edible limu. A very cheap mill would do for grind- 



