''Caulerpa lentillifera'' is a species of ulvophyte green algae from coastal regions in the Asia-Pacific. This seaweed is one of the favored species of

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

Caulerpa ''Caulerpa'' is a genus of seaweeds in the family Caulerpaceae (among the green algae). They are unusual because they consist of only one cell with many nuclei, making them among the biggest single cells in the world. A species in the Mediterran ...

'' due to its soft and succulent texture. It is traditionally eaten in the cuisines of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

, and

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. It was first commercially cultivated in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in the 1950s, followed by Japan in 1968. Both countries remain the top consumers of ''C. lentillifera''. Its cultivation has since spread to other countries, including

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, and China. ''C. lentillifera'', along with '' C. racemosa'', are also known as sea grapes or green caviar in English. It is a siphonous macroalgae, meaning it is a giant single cell with multiple nuclei, and can grow to 30 cm in length. Instead of leaves, the algae has bubbles that burst in the mouth, releasing an umami taste.

Commercial cultivation

Traditionally, ''C. lentillifera'' were harvested directly from the wild. The first commercial cultivation of ''C. lentillifera'' was in the 1950s in

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

, after accidental introduction of ''C. lentillifera'' to fish ponds. Currently, there are around 400 hectares of ponds in the Cebu, producing around 12 to 15 tons of fresh ''C. lentillifera'' per year. They are usually harvested after two months from first planting, and every two weeks afterwards depending on growth rates. Commercial cultivation was followed by Japan in 1968, where it was cultivated in tanks in the warmer waters of

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. Commercial cultivation has since spread to other countries, including

, and China (in

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

and

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

). Most are for domestic consumption, but they are also exported to Japan.

Culinary uses

''Caulerpa lentillifera'', along with ''C. racemosa'', have been traditionally eaten in the cuisines of

, and

. They are almost always eaten raw on their own or in salads. They have been described as tasting "like the ocean." It is known to be rich in iodine. In the

, ''C. lentillifera'' is usually known as ''latô'' or ''arosep.'' After being washed in clean water, it is usually eaten raw as a salad (''ensaladang lato''), mixed with chopped raw shallots and fresh tomatoes, and dressed with a blend of

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao ...

or '' bagoong'' (fish paste) and vinegar. Its popularity has also spread to the

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n state of

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

(where it is spelled ''latok'') due to the migrations of the

Bajau The Sama-Bajau include several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia. The name collectively refers to related people who usually call themselves the Sama or Samah (formally A'a Sama, "Sama people"); or are known by the exonym ...

peoples. In

, Japan, it is known as , meaning "sea grapes", or ''kubiretsuta''. It is served dipped in ''

ponzu is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is tart, with a thin, watery consistency and nearly colorless. or is ponzu with soy sauce () added, and the mixed dark brown product is widely referred to as simply . The term ...

'', made into

sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

, added into salads, or eaten as is. ''C. lentillifera'' is also eaten in

, where it is known as ''rong nho'' or ''rong nho biển'', meaning "grape algae"; in Korea, where it is known as ''bada podo'' (바다포도), also meaning "sea grapes"; and in Indonesia (particularly Bali), where it is known as ''bulung.''

Health benefits

Several health benefits have been reported for ''Caulerpa lentillifera'' including diabetes and lipid lowering properties.

Gallery

File:Ensaladang Lato (Seaweed Salad) - Philippines 1.jpg, ''Ensaladang latô'' from the

, prepared with vinegar,

shallot The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the ...

s, and tomatoes File:OceanGrapes.jpg, ''Umi-budō'' served Okinawan style File:USAID Measuring Impact Conservation Enterprise Retrospective (Philippines; Nagkakaisang Tribu ng Palawan) (26420465388).jpg, Fresh ''latô'' sold at a fish market in the

References

External links

Lato, the strange sea salad
The trade of the Caulerpa lentillifera in Coron, Philippines * Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013
Caulerpa lentillifera J.Agardh

AlgaeBase AlgaeBase is a global species database of information on all groups of algae, both marine and freshwater, as well as sea-grass. History AlgaeBase began in March 1996, founded by Michael Guiry. Text was copied from this source, which is avail ...