Gim and seaweed foods

Gim is made from a red algae of the same name that is farmed in the sea, harvested, chopped finely, spread into thin sheets and dried. In Korea, the southern coast, including Wando in South Jeolla Province, is the main farming area. The dried sheets are toasted or brushed with oil and salt and eaten as a side dish, in gimbap or as a snack.

Seasoned gim is brushed with sesame or perilla oil, sprinkled with salt and toasted, ready to wrap around rice. Gimbap gim is only toasted with no seasoning, and its large, sturdy sheets are made for rolling rice and fillings. Using seasoned gim for gimbap can make it salty and prone to tearing.

Yes, gim is one of Korea's leading seafood exports. The United States, Japan and China are among its main markets, and Korean gim is known to hold a large share of the global dried laver market. Products such as seaweed snacks are now sold widely overseas.

Both are brown seaweeds, but miyeok, or wakame, is thin and soft, used in seaweed soup, seasoned salads and chilled soups. Dasima, or kelp, is thick and firm and mainly used to make broth. Kelp is also blanched for wraps or fried into crisp bugak. Both are commonly sold dried.

Maesaengi-guk is a soup made with maesaengi, a very fine, silky seaweed, often cooked with oysters, and it is known as a winter dish of the southern coast. It barely steams, yet stays extremely hot inside, which is said to have inspired a saying about serving it to a son-in-law you dislike. Let it cool a little before eating.

Tot, or hijiki, is a brown seaweed with short, knobby branches and a pleasant crunch. It is blanched and mixed with tofu or tossed in vinegared gochujang, and some people cook it into tot-bap with rice. It grows widely around Jeju and the southern coast.

Parae is a fine green seaweed with a fresh ocean aroma. A classic side dish is parae muchim, tossed with radish in a tangy dressing, and parae gim, laver sheets mixed with this green seaweed, is also popular. Its season is generally said to run from winter into spring.

Gim bugak is laver brushed with glutinous rice paste, dried, then deep-fried until crisp. Nutty and crunchy, it is eaten as a side dish or snack, and many packaged versions are now sold like chips. It may contain sesame and other ingredients, so check the label if you have allergies.

Put the kelp in cold water, heat it slowly, and take it out once the water begins to boil. Simmering it too long releases a slimy substance that clouds the broth and dulls the taste. Many cooks simply wipe the kelp lightly with a damp cloth rather than rinsing it for long.

Miyeok julgi bokkeum is the thick stems of wakame soaked to remove salt, then stir-fried with garlic in oil. It has a chewy, crunchy texture and a savory, slightly salty taste, making it a common side dish for meals and lunchboxes. Salted seaweed stems from the store need thorough rinsing first.

Seaweed is an everyday ingredient in Korea, but some types are very high in iodine, so eating huge amounts is best avoided. If you have a thyroid condition or are pregnant, ask your doctor how much is right for you. Eating moderate amounts as side dishes is part of a normal diet.

Pass unseasoned gim briefly over low heat on both sides until it turns greenish and crisp. At home, many people brush it with sesame or perilla oil and sprinkle a little salt before toasting. It burns quickly, so do not hold it too close to the flame.

Gim turns soggy quickly in humidity, so keep it sealed in a cool, dry place. For long-term storage, put it in a zip bag in the freezer to preserve its aroma and crispness. Seasoned gim contains oil, so finish it soon after opening.

Gopchang gim is a type of laver whose name is often explained by its wavy strands that look like gopchang, or intestines. It is thicker and more aromatic than regular gim, which makes it popular. It is mostly seen in winter, so it can be hard to find at other times of year.

Yes. Gim can be counted by the sheet, but traditionally 100 sheets make one tot. You may still hear this unit at markets and shops that sell gim in bundles. Supermarkets today more often label packages by the number of sheets or bags.

Umutgasari is a type of red algae, agarweed, that sets into a clear jelly called umu when boiled and cooled. In Korea, umu is sliced into strips and served in chilled soybean broth. Agarweed is also the raw material for agar, which is used in jellies and yanggaeng.

Gamtae is a fine, soft seaweed said to have a slightly bitter yet sweet taste. It is dried into thin sheets like gim, toasted or seasoned, and used to wrap rice or in rice balls and gimbap. In different regions the name gamtae can refer to different seaweeds, so check with the seller about where and when it was harvested.

In Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, a story says a man named Kim Yeo-ik began farming laver during the Joseon era, and a memorial site marks the spot. Some even say the name gim came from his surname, though this is a traditional tale. Laver is known to have been eaten long before that.

Seaweed itself is plant-based and fits well in a vegetarian diet. However, seaweed soup is often made with beef or clams, seasoned salads may use fish sauce or salted seafood, and seasoned gim can contain other ingredients. Ask about broth and seasoning at restaurants and check labels on packaged products.

Gim snacks turn laver into a snack food, for example by sandwiching almonds or grains between sheets or frying thin layers with extra flavoring. They are meant to be eaten like chips rather than with rice, so the flavors are more varied. Depending on the product, they may contain nuts, wheat or shrimp, so read the label.