Say hello to this salad from the sea!
Guso is a seaweed that grows throughout the coastline. It has long been enjoyed fresh in salads or as an ingredient in local dishes especially in the Visayas.
A popular combination is guso with onions, tomatoes, and vinegar. Or a street food variation with guso, toknene (battered and deep fried boiled egg) and spicy or tangy sauces! Full of fiber, antioxidants, and minerals, Guso has been found to help lower cholesterol and blood sugar (Astillo 2023, Loso 2020), making it a great source of Vitamin SEA (Yang 2016).
Across the Philippines and Southeast Asia, guso provides income and a healthy supplement for farmers and street food vendors. It can also supplement marine conservation initiatives. In places where fish catch is low due to overfishing by commercial industries or illegal fishing practices, guso and other seaweed farming provides an alternative (Sievanen 2005, Loso 2020).
From reef to recipe, guso sustains both communities and coasts!
See it in the wild at Philippinewildlifeart!
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References
- Jessica D. Astillo et al, 2023 – Guso (Eucheuma sp.) Ice Cream Enhanced with Blue ternate https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371700760_Guso_Eucheuma_sp_Ice_Cream_Enhanced_with_Blue_ternate
- Maricris M. Loso, Pet Anthony L. Pascual 2020 – Effects of Different Levels of Seaweed (Eucheuma spinosum) on the Sensory Qualities and Selling Price of Fish Balls http://marineagronomy.org/node/1104
- Yang Hongshun 2016 – National University of Singapore 2016 https://www.science.nus.edu.sg/blog/2016/03/eucheuma-based-healthy-beverages/
- Leila Sievanen et al., 2005 – Weeding through assumptions of livelihood approaches in ICM: Seaweed farming in the Philippines and Indonesia https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0964569105000670#