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Press Release
May 26, 2006 (Radio Actualities)
BLACK SEAWEED connoisseurS TO COMPETE FOR PRIZES
A panel of judges will single out the best black seaweed among a pool of contestants during Celebration.
The event marks the third, biennial black seaweed contest sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), which held the first contest in 2002 in response to concerns Native people were losing some of the older recipes. Since then, the contest has grown, said Rosita Worl, SHI president.
“It’s like everything else – it’s continuing to expand,” Worl said. “We have more and more entries and our people are coming to us and saying -- how about a soap berry contest? So next celebration we’re thinking about soapberries.”
Judging is scheduled from 10:30-noon, Friday, June 2, at Centennial Hall; Winners will be announced at 6:30 that evening. Prizes will be $500 for first place, $250 for second place and $100 for third place. The seaweed will be presented to judges on numbered plates so the panel will not know the identities of contestants nor their hometowns.
Black seaweed - laak’ásk - has been a valuable food source for the Native people of Southeast Alaska for thousands of years. The fresh seaweed is gathered at a minus tide and dried in the sun on sheets. Some people dry it immediately, while others let it soak overnight to soften it. After it is dried, pieces are dipped into a solution of water and flavorings, such as sugar and salt, clam juice and minced clams.
When it has almost dried again, it is put through a grinder. It is stored in a variety of ways, sometimes with bits of other wild plants layered in. Subtleties in the process affect the texture and tenderness. It can be eaten dried or cooked with salmon and salmon eggs.
Seaweed
offers the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually
all the minerals found in the ocean--the same minerals that are found in
human blood. It is a good source of the B-vitamin folate, and magnesium,
and a good source of iron, calcium and the B-vitamins riboflavin and
pantothenic acid. In addition, seaweeds contain good amounts of
lignans, plant compounds with cancer-protective properties.
CONTACT: Rosita
Worl, SHI President, 463-4844
- Rosita Worl, President, Sealaska Heritage Institute, TRT: :15 “It’s like everything else – it’s continuing to expand,” Worl said. “We have more and more entries and our people are coming to us and saying -- how about a soap berry contest? So next celebration we’re thinking about soapberries.” (Audio)