Kelpis at hand

THE Japanese who visit Ireland are frequently baffled that we eat so little seaweed. When they walk along the seashore, they recognise seaweed and sea vegetables they seek out and relish in Japan.

Yet they rarely, if ever, come across seaweed in any form on mainstream Irish menus.

Granted, an occasional restaurant like the Ivory Tower or the Quay Co-op in Cork offers sushi and seaweed salads and traditional carrigeen moss pudding is regularly on the Ballymaloe House sweet trolley. But considering the abundance of sea we have access to, its extraordinary we don't make better use of this brilliantly healthy food.