Spirogyra spp.

Description

A freshwater algae found in tropical regions and sold in local markets.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

Eaten raw with chili sauce, added to omelettes, or made into a sauce. Also dried and pressed into sheets with finely sliced vegetables and sesame seeds, then grilled or briefly deep fried.

Traditional Uses

It is eaten raw with chili sauce. It is added to omelettes and made into a kind of sauce. It is also dried and pressed into sheets along with finely sliced vegetables then sprinkled with sesame seeds. The dried product can be grilled or briefly deep fried.

Distribution

A tropical plant.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Canada, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam,

Other Information

It is sold in local markets.

Notes

It is very rich in calcium and Vitamin A

Also Known As

Taw, Thao, Phak kai

References (8)

• Biswas, 1953,
• Cribb, A.B. & J.W., 1976, Wild Food in Australia, Fontana. p 196
• Cruz-Garcia, G. S., & Price, L. L., 2011, Ethnobotanical investigation of 'wild' food plants used by rice farmers in Kalasin, Northeast Thailand. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 7:33
• Jacquat, C., 1990, Plants from the Markets of Thailand. D.K. Book House p 26
• Kiple, K.F. & Ornelas, K.C., (eds), 2000, The Cambridge World History of Food. CUP p 234