Sea Moss Custard

Sitting on the beach last Sunday, I noticed a woman walking amid the rocks at low tide, bent over to collect seaweed. I have seen many people search for starfish and seaglass and shells on these north shore beaches, but never this stuff, which is the opposite of showy — nearly colorless.

As she passed by, her hands full of the the small, tan, crenelated leaves, I had to ask. “Why?”

“Sea moss custard,” she said. It’s something her mother and grandmother made. “You wash the seaweed till all the sand is gone and then boil it with milk.” The seaweed gives off a rennet-like substance that binds into a custard.

“How does it taste?” I asked. “Like seaweed?”

She couldn’t describe it.

When I got home, I went to the computer and there, at www.hungrybrowser.com I found recipes for sea moss “pudding.” Simplicity itself: milk, sugar, vanilla, and sea moss, boiled.

Perhaps some smart, thrifty New England housewife figured this out a hundred years ago…

There were no reader comments, reviews, or descriptions.

Wondrous strange.

1 Comment

  1. PDeBoest on July 26, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    I just finished reading “The Red Tent”, I loved it and your writting style. I went looking to find out what else you had written and found your website. Barnes and Noble, here I come!
    While reading your book, I would go to bed at night, wishing I had a red tent I could go to with my sister and daughter. Three days of down time and communing sounds wonderful. I think women need that. Passing everything on to your daughter,the strength,the wisdom, the sharing,the innermost secrets of women.
    Your characters were so vivid, I felt like I knew, Rachel,Leah and Dinah. I was very happy when Dinah met Benia and finally was happy again. I kept thinking the whole time I was reading, why haven’t they made a movie out of this book??? Thank you for writting it and I look forward to reading your other books and the new one.
    Sea Moss Custard??? Sounds interesting, you would just have to make it, because it sounds so weird,lol.

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