The San Francisco call., 1898-01-02
SEAMEED AS THE
 COMING DINNER DISH

seriously as a novel dainty for epi-
 cures. An analysis of the kelp shows
 that the nutritious matter contained
 is small, but the gelatinous, slightly
 sharp flavor is said to be delicious
 when. ones palate becomes educated
 to it. Like oysters and olives, which
 delicate viands some people care for
 naturally, some acquire the taste for,
 after painful effort, ard most people
 have thrust upon them, the connois-
 seurs will have to educate the palates
 of the people before they can thor
 oughly appreciate the seaweed.
 Should the taste for this unique food
 assume large proportions, California
 could undoubtedly compete with Japan:
 in supplying the markets, as the edible
 variety grows in profusion here.
 The Chinese dry the kelp, press it in-
 to thin round cakes, which are then
 put into water and boiled. They be-
 come soft and expand so that when
 ready to eat they are about three
 times the size they were before boiling. They are either eaten alone or served
 in conjunction with chicken or meat.
 Nor is China the only place where some variety or the algae is used as a com- mon article of food. The Alaria Es-
 culenta, commonly called Bladder locks, is regarded both in Scotland and Ireland as very toothSome dainty; it is accorded the same degree of respect
 that the French bestow upon frogs legs. It is usually eaten raw or plunged in boiling water and then removed | immediately, serving it either hot or cold.
 While there seems every possibility that the seaweed will be given place | on our menus, it will never become a i staple article of food, owing to it's indi- gestibility. Dr. William A. Setchell of ! the University of California, who is | professor of botany and well-known contributor on seaweed subjects to i scientific journals, said that there was. | not a single variety of seaweed that | contained enough nutritious substance
 to make it highly valuable as a food, | but that if properly prepared the weed
 might tickle the palate at the expense | of terrific labor on the part of the di- | gestive organs. Professor Setchell has | just returned from collecting seaweeds | in the vicinity of Fort Ross. He was | accompanied on his tour of investiga- | ton by c. P. Mott, assistant in the bot ] any department. Together they suc-
 ceeded in securing eighty varieties, among them the kind that is used in | the manufacture of iodine.
 | Professor Setchell recounted that the | Scotch lady with whom he and MT. i Mott boarded at Fort Ross was ex- l tremely fond of the Bladderlock va
 riety, and was very anxious that they should find some of it, as she had not i tasted any since she had left Scotland. Perhaps the variety that will gain 1 the greatest hold on a certain portion of the community is the Fucus vesicu- losus, which is said to be the most
 efficient remedy for obesity. One au- | thcrity on algae says that were this variety used as the basis for an anti i fat remedy it would mean thousands | of dollars to the manufacturer and a proportionate falling off in flesh among those afflicted with a superabundance i of fatty tissue.
 It is predicted that before long sea-
 weed will be put on bill of fares in the
 principal restaurants here, alongside
 the place of honor held by frogs legs, ! Welsh rarebft and sparrows' tongues.