Limu

Limu is the Hawaiian word for edible seaweeds. On the islands, this family of marine algae was so abundant and woven into island cooking that more than seventy kinds were once gathered for food, far more than any other seaweed cuisine. Hawaiians ate it fresh, salted, or rubbed by hand into raw fish, the old practice that became what poke is today. The most prized is limu kohu (Asparagopsis taxiformis), the soft red “supreme seaweed” with a bold peppery, iodine punch. Everyday poke leans on limu manauea, the crunchy ogo (Gracilaria) that gives it a briny snap.