Atlantic Dulse Seaweed: Ireland’s Pristine Superfood

The majestic Aran Islands is a place of tradition and provenance.  I vividly remember harvesting seaweed with my mother and her father, my late grandfather.  On the western side of Inis Mor, my granddad always foraged for fresh dulse and Irish moss.  It was common place to sun dry the sea vegetable’s for consuming at a later stage.  Dulse, a crimson red sea vegetable is generally harvested at very low water such as when big king tides come around from the pull of a full moon. 

Similarly to other seaweeds, Atlantic Dulse grows at the low water level, which is only accessible when the sea has drained and leaves the lower shore exposed, harvest time!  The islander’s would be down on the shoreline foraging for food such as large crab that did not go out with the tide, having access to easily picked mussels, periwinkles, etc… Some went to harvest fresh dulse (and Irish Moss and Atlantic Wakame) that grows abundantly in the deep rocky pools and cliff edges.  Atlantic Dulse mainly attaches itself to rocky reefs or large boulders, that tend to be in exposed and very dangerous areas where the full force of the mighty Atlantic ocean hits quite regularly during the big winter storms.

Throughout time, and up to the present day, Atlantic Dulse seaweed has been consumed in Ireland.  Similarly, a staple sea vegetable in Scotland, Wales, France, Iceland, Canada and northern America.  Undeniably, there are many uses for this delicate, yet vibrant and nutrient dense seaweed. It can be eaten simply as a snack or used as a functional food ingredient.

Today, Atlantic Dulse is gaining popular credibility as a practical and natural pland based dietry food supplement. After all, it is of course vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, nut free, lactose free, pretty much all of the bad stuff can be ruled out.