Korean Slate

Last month I tried Sea’s Gift roasted seaweed. This time I sampled Sea’s Gift sweet seaweed. Aside from the sugar flavor, the main difference is that this sweet variant is shredded and contains sesame seeds. It would ideally be used as a topping, but I used a spoon to scoop it out of the deep plastic tray.

Sea’s Gift Sweet Seaweed Snack. Korean Kim (Nori). All Natural. No MSG. Roasted & Seasoned with Sesame Oil, Sea Salt & Organic Sugar.

And boy could you taste the sugar. It’s sweet, but not too sickening. I think that fact that the word “organic” appears before sugar lets you feel less guilty about indulging in it.

Whereas the roasted variant has only three ingredients (seaweed, sesame oil, sea salt), this one has five.

Ingredients: seaweed, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sea salt, organic cane juice

So the sugar comes in the form of organic cane juice!

Ingredients also given in French: Agues, Huile de sesame, Graine de sesame, Sel de mer, Sucre organique.

Explanation on the back about what the product is. “Kim is Korean seaweed — what the Japanese call nori. Sea’s Gift Sweet Seaweed Snack is all natural, roasted in sesame oil and lightly salted and sweetened.”

Similar suggestions on how to use it. Eat traditional style with rice ball and spice. Or snack on like potato chips! Use in salads. Add to soup. Try as pizza topping!

Warning: Moisture-absorbing packet contained inside. Do not eat. (Repeat: do not eat the pack of silica gel.)

Nutrition Facts: three six-gram servings per pack. Amount per serving: 25 calories. Total fat 1 gram — no saturated or trans fat. No cholesterol. 60 milligrams of sodium. Total carbohydrates 2 grams. No dietary fiber, no sugars (Huh?). Protein 2 grams. % Daily Values: Vitamin A 30%, Vitamin C 20%, Calcium 2%, Iron 2%.

The nutrition facts are practically a carbon copy of what JayOne provided on the back of their roasted seaweed. No sugar? Now that is suspect…

Imported by JayOne Foods. UPC 6 78108 17107 8. Product of Korea.

I usually buy sheets of dried seaweed at Japanese and Korean supermarkets where the label is in their own languages. This is the first time I remember seeing kim (the Korean version of the Japanese nori) packaged for an English-speaking market.

Sea’s Gift Roasted Seaweed Snack. Korean Kim (Nori). Roasted & Sea Salted. Snack Pack. A gift from the ancient sea. All Natural. No MSG. No Sugar.

Some Korean and French on the pack but mostly English. Good that there’s an explanation on the back about what the product is. “Kim is Korean seaweed — what the Japanese call nori. Sea’s Gift kim is all natural, roasted in sesame oil and lightly salted.”

There are also suggestions on how to use it. Eat traditional style with rice ball and spice. Or snack on like potato chips! (This is how I often eat it.) Use in salads. Shred and add to soup. Try as pizza topping!

I’m no connoisseur of kim — I can only vaguely distinguish between Korean and Japanese versions — but this brand tasted good, without a doubt.

Ingredients: seaweed (“finest Korean kim”), sesame oil, sea salt

Warning: Moisture-absorbing packet contained inside. Do not eat. (a reference to the pack of silica gel)

Nutrition Facts: one six-gram serving per pack. Amount per serving: 25 calories. Total fat 1 gram — no saturated or trans fat. No cholesterol. 60 milligrams of sodium (only? really?). Total carbohydrates 2 grams. No dietary fiber, no sugars. Protein 2 grams. % Daily Values: Vitamin A 35%, Vitamin C 20%, Calcium 2%, Iron 2%.

Imported by JayOne Foods. UPC 6 78108 17101. Product of Korea.

Sea’s Gift also has another variant that’s sweet. Will try it soon.