LAVER

Japanese Nori, any member of the genus Porphyra, a group of marine red algae. The thallus, a sheet of cells embedded in a thin gelatinous mass, varies in colour from deep brown or red to pink; sexual reproductive structures are at the margin. Laver grows at the high-water mark of the intertidal zone in both Northern and Southern hemispheres. It grows best in nitrogen-rich water, such as is found near sewage outlets. Laver is harvested, dried, and used as food in greater amounts than any other seaweed. Cultivated as a major food crop in artificial seawater factories in the Orient, it is used as a soup base, a flavouring for other food, and a salt for meat. In the British Isles laver is grilled on toast (sloke) and has an oyster-like taste.