Taishan Seaweed

Taishan Seaweed

　　During festivals or celebrations, seaweed is often featured in the dishes of Taishan people. A combination of seaweed with lean meat and dried shrimp, simmered in premium broth, makes for a very tasty dish. Seaweed is one of the famous local specialties of Taishan. According to the "Xinning County Annals" under the section on local products: “Seaweed grows on the rocks in the sea, originally green in color. Once harvested and dried, it turns purple. The variety from Tonggu is particularly excellent.” Tonggu seaweed is not actually produced in Tonggu Village, but is harvested by residents from the nearby sea area, collected from large rocks offshore. The best quality comes from the area known as Dapai. Tonggu seaweed is thick and large, with a deliciously fresh and crisp texture when chewed. The high quality of Tonggu seaweed is closely related to the surrounding natural environment. This marine plant, a type of red algae, grows attached to rocks. It has a peculiar trait: it thrives and grows more abundantly where the waves are stronger, and the sea around Tonggu is especially turbulent, providing ideal natural conditions for the production of this specialty seaweed. Other areas in our city that produce seaweed include Shangchuan Island. The island's residents refer to the eastern sea as the “Upper Sea,” where the waves are relatively larger, resulting in plentiful and high-quality seaweed. The seaweed growing on the rocky reefs near Weijia and Niaozhu islands is not much inferior in quality to that from Tonggu.