News from Dansk Tang

Dato:

29/1/2026

Full name

11 Jan 2022

•

5 min read

Seaweed of the month is Clawed fork weed – a highly decorative seaweed with a surprisingly interesting history.

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When the winter storms hit, large pieces of clawed fork weed are torn loose and can be collected in the surf before they wash ashore. Clawed fork weed is highly decorative, with a structure reminiscent of fir needles. When boiled, it releases a deep red colour into the water, and it also contains a very high level of starch.

This type of seaweed is particularly well suited for decoration or pickling. No other seaweed offers such a wide and varied play of colours.

In the 1950s, clawed fork weed was the most popular seaweed species in Denmark. A Danish producer had accidentally discovered its high starch content, which led to the extraordinary decision to trawl (!) Danish waters for seaweed. The seaweed was dried, then boiled, and the thick cooking liquid was frozen. When thawed, it produced what was essentially the era’s version of agar-agar.

At the time, it was called furcellaran (popularly known as “danagar”), as it was not allowed to be labelled agar-agar.

If you’d like to read the full story, it’s available on Dansk Tang’s website:

https://www.dansktang.dk/tangs-historie/