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There's A New Seaweed Strain And It Tastes Just Like Bacon

There's A New Seaweed Strain And It Tastes Just Like Bacon

Dulse is apparently a form of red marine algae and looks like translucent red lettuce.

James Dawson

James Dawson

Despite what your vegetarian mates may or may not claim, the craving for meat - and more specifically the craving for bacon - isn't something easily cast aside by simple morality: killing animals might be wrong but it doesn't stop a Full English tasting so right while you're starring down the barrel of a Sunday morning hangover.

We've previously heard how 37 percent of veggies have eaten meat after getting drunk, and to be fair who can blame them when some studies claim they're more unhealthy than their carnivorous counterparts.

But for those who are able to stick to their guns there's some good news from researchers at Oregon State University (OSU).


Credit: PA Images

The researchers have patented a new strain of seaweed that reportedly tastes like bacon when it's cooked, it also apparently also has double the nutritional value of kale, putting it firmly on the 'one to watch in 2018' list for middle-class food snobs.

Dulse is apparently a form of red marine algae and looks like translucent red lettuce, Oregon State researcher Chris Langdon says that the team started growing a new strain of it while trying to find a good food source for edible sea snail.

The seaweed grows naturally in the wild along the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines. It is harvested and usually sold for up to $90 (£68) a pound in dried form as a cooking ingredient or nutritional supplement.

Credit: Oregon State University

However, Chris Langdon and colleagues at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center have created and patented a new strain of dulse - one he has been growing for the past 15 years.

"The original goal was to create a super-food for abalone, because high-quality abalone is treasured, especially in Asia," Langdon said.

"We were able to grow dulse-fed abalone at rates that exceeded those previously reported in the literature. There always has been an interest in growing dulse for human consumption, but we originally focused on using dulse as a food for abalon"

If you're a vegetarian, you'll probably not be pleased to discover that scientists recently discovered that plants can hear themselves being eaten, I guess all you can do is try not to think about it next time you eat your quinoa salad.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: Food, News, food news, US News, Bacon