裙帶菜 / Wakame

裙帶菜是日本全國常吃的海藻，日本全國從春天到初夏都可以採收的到，北海道的裙帶菜盛產期是在5月。盛產期的生的裙帶菜會在超市販賣。只要稍微用熱水燙一下就會變成鮮艷的綠色。用鹽醃漬的生裙帶菜和乾燥裙帶菜一年當中都會販售。和食料理中，裙帶菜可以用於味增湯的材料、用酢醃漬或是沙拉的材料等被廣泛使用。

Wakame is a popular seaweed in Japan. It grows readily in its natural environment, but these days the majority of wakame is farmed in the sea. The picking, or harvesting season, is from spring to the beginning of summer. In Hokkaido, the best season is May. Raw wakame is found in supermarkets, and its color becomes bright green after it’s dipped into hot water then washed in cold water. Preserving it with salt or drying it is popular, and its eaten through the year. For Japanese cuisine, wakame is typically used in miso soup, and as an ingredient for dishes in sweetened vinegar, or salad.