OMG: This New Seaweed Tastes ‘Like Bacon’ and Its A Guilt-Free Superfood Too

OSU Discovers and Patents what is Perhaps this Millennium’s Greatest Super Food Yet: A Seaweed That Tastes like Bacon

A cup of creamy coffee, a slice of buttery toasted bread, eggs, and bacon—these are what we usually find on our plate on the table every morning. But if you’re one of those people concerned about gaining weight, or one those people whose doctor recommended not to eat any fatty foods for a while, then the common breakfast plate is reduced to something even simpler: a cup of black coffee, and a bland pack of low-fat crackers.

But what if we told you that there’s a superfood out there that would give you the same amount of—and even more—of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and protein, and tastes like bacon? And indeed there is. There is now.

Researchers from Oregon State University’s (OSU) Hatfield Marine Science Center have discovered and patented an engineered red marine algae, called dulse, which tastes like bacon when fried! The red marine algae is also claimed to have high contents of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and protein (16 percent in dry weight), and is considered a better-tasting alternative than kale. Dulse appears to be red, transparent lettuce (when uncooked), and is known to grow abundantly along the coastlines of the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

“There hasn’t been a lot of interest in using it in a fresh form,” Chief Researcher Chris Langon said. “But this stuff is pretty amazing. When you fry it, which I have done, it tastes like bacon, not seaweed.

“And it’s a pretty strong bacon flavor,” Langdon emphasized.

Langdon and his colleagues have been growing and developing for the past 15 years3, and the final outcome of the project was well worth the wait.

Chuck Toombs, a faculty member of OSU’s College of Business, sees potential in the newly-discovered superfood. Toombs believed that the OSU’s discovery will not only benefit the university but will benefit the entire state of Oregon, as well: “Dulse is a super food, with twice the nutritional value of kale… And OSU had developed this variety that can be farmed, with the potential for a new industry for Oregon.”

Several reports also claim that the newly-developed variety of the dulse is already being exploited by both student and professional chefs from OSU’s Food Innovation canter, and several chefs in Portland, for new recipes.

Once the potential of the red marine algae dulse is tapped and gets known worldwide, imagine what it can do to your ordinary, oppressed, breakfast: You get to taste the smoky, salty, nostalgic flavor of bacon—every day if you want to—on your breakfast plate, without the fats, without the worry, and without the guilt. Plus it’s filled with all the vitamins and minerals that you would normally get in three different foods.

An alternative protein source that tastes like bacon. Wouldn’t you agree that this is perhaps the greatest superfood ever discovered this millennium?

References:

1. McKirdy, Euan. 17 July 2015. “The Holy Grill: A Guilt-free Superfood that Tastes like Bacon.” Accessed July 18, 2015. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/17/tech/dulse-bacon-flavored-seaweed/index.html.
2. KGW Staff. 14 July 2015. “OSU Researchers Discover Seaweed That Tastes like Bacon.” Accessed July 18, 2015. http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2015/07/14/osu-researchers-find-seaweed-tastes-like-bacon/30147249/.
3. Pescovitz, David. 16 July 2015. “Scientists Create New Strain of Algae that Tastes like Bacon.” Accessed July 18, 2015. http://boingboing.net/2015/07/16/406168.html.
4. Regan, Helen. 16 July 2015. “Stop Everything: There’s a New Seaweed That Tastes Lie Bacon and Is Better for You Than Kale.” Accessed July 18, 2015. http://time.com/3960421/seaweed-bacon-dulse-kale-super-food/.

Also see: Why You Should Stop Eating Tilapia ASAP