[Sca-cooks] dulse?

[ranvaig at columbus.rr.com]

>From _The Cookin' Woman, Irish Country Recipes_ published 1949, by Florance Irwin, who was a cooking teacher in Ireland just after the turn of the century. Some of her recipes come from 18th century cookbooks. Not period, but her descriptions of Irish Country Life are very entertaining.

Since the recipe says to add salt, I don't think the dulse could have been that salty.  Its possible that dulse you purchase today is seasoned, meant to be eaten as is.  Both recipes say to wash the dulse before cooking it.

Chapter 14 Sea Vegetables and Oatmeal:  The Irish have always used sea vegetables - Dulse, Carrageen Moss, and Sloke.  They contain iodine and other sea salts, magnesium, sodium, etc.

Dulse (Rhodemenia Palmata) This is cut from the rocks at low tide and spread to dry on the shingle in the sun.  When dry it is sold at fairs and markets all pver the country, a halfpenny worth of dulse being a popular purchase.  It was supposed to be good for killing worms in children.

Fried Dulse (Glenarm) Wash the dulse in sea water.  Heat butter in a pan and fry the dulse until it turns colour.

Stewed Dulse (Portaferry recipe 100 years old at least (in 1949))  Wash freshly gathered dulse to remove sand and grit.  Put in a saucepan with milk, salt and pepper and stew till tender.  It take 3-4 hours.  Use as a supper dish with oatcakes or brown bread.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmaria_palmata
... it is relatively low in sodium and high in potassium.

Ranvaig