Agar-agar, usually shortened to agar, is a gelatin-like substance derived from two kinds of algae or seaweed. It was discovered in 1658 by Minora Tarazaemon, an innkeeper in Japan who noticed that seaweed soup had become a gel after being left out in winter.
Agar then found its way not only into the kitchen, but also into the laboratory. Agar-agar has no flavour, odour or colour so it’s helpful as a culinary ingredient.
Microbiologists and biochemists began using it as a medium to culture organisms in petri dishes.
The first microbiologists to use it was Walther Hesse, an assistant to the famous German scientist Robert Koch (who discovered the cause of tuberculosis, cholera and anthrax), in 1892.
Agar is now a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine where it is used to thicken soups and jellies. It is also used extensively along with carrageen and alginate, two other plant-based gelatins, in ice creams, jellied sweets and marshmallows by the confectionery industry.
Vegetarians and vegans prefer agar to gelatin which is sourced from animals.
Two types of seaweed called gelidium and gracilaria are harvested to produce agar. They grow in many parts of Asia, and on the western coast of the United States.
To extract the substance, the seaweed is washed then heated in water, causing it to dissolve. Once cooled, it forms a gel. The water is removed completely so that it can be stored in the form of blocks, granules or powder. Agar has no calories, no sugar, no carbs, and no fat. It is free from preservatives. It is a good source of fibre, calcium and iron.
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