wakame

[wuh-kah-mee, wah-kah-me]

noun

1. a brown seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, of coastal Japan, Korea, etc., growing in coarse, stringy clumps and usually dried for use in Asian soups, salads, and side dishes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wakame¹

First recorded in 1950–55; from Japanese wakame, perhaps from waka “young” + me “edible seaweed” (compare mo “seaweed”)

Example Sentences

For example, nori is well known as the seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls, while wakame or kelp are often found in comforting ramen noodle dishes.

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Add to your diet, in moderation, by exploring seaweed recipes and by sprinkling dried, ground seaweed mixtures featuring dulse, wakame, sea spaghetti and wracks into smoothies, over salads and even on pizza.

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In Serious Eats, Becky Selengut gives a primer on seaweed, comparing kombu to wakame, dulse, arame, and of course, nori, noting that seaweed is actually "a colloquial term that refers to red, brown and green algae."

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Nguyen's recipe starts with an infusion of wakame and kombu seaweed and some pineapple juice to match the sweetness of the fermented fish brine.

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The two dried seaweed types also factor heavily into a vegan broth for the Deluxe Vegan Pho, where "kombu contributes a round mouthfeel like that of meat collagen while the wakame injects a briny back note like that of dried seafood," Nguyen writes.

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