Tamara Singer Discovers the Truffle in Seaweed

New Zealander Tamara Singer and her friend Norwegian Angelita Erikson harvest wild seaweed on the beaches of Norway’s Lofoten archipelago. It’s an inconspicuous plant, but one that can be used in many ways. One variety in particular has what it takes to be a delicacy. Heiko Zwirner, a journalist for Germany’s Welt newspaper, investigates the seaweed that tastes like fresh truffles, and the award-winning business farming it.

Singer moved to the Lofoten island of Flagstadøy in northern Norway a few years ago and in 2016 founded Lofoten Seaweed with Erikson, the daughter of a local fisherman. The small company is based in Napp, a fishing village with 200 inhabitants, and specialises in harvesting and processing wild seaweed, Zwirner reports.

“You would be amazed,” Singer says. “When the plant comes straight from the sea, it tastes like ocean and fresh truffle.” She adds: “We once kept the seaweed in the refrigerator for too long. After that, even the milk tasted like truffles.”

Lofoten Seaweed’s customers include local food manufacturers such as the chocolate manufacturer Craig Alibone from Bodø. Most recently, a larger delivery went to the snack producer Sørland, which is refining a new type of potato chips with it. “You can find these chips in almost every supermarket in Norway,” Singer says. “This is a giant step for us as a small supplier.”

Original article by Heiko Zwirner, Welt am Sonntag, February 2, 2021.

Photo by Lofoten Seaweed/Richard Walch.