The sea is an infinite ocean of opportunities: starting with food. It took years of research and studies to announce the discovery of the to the gastronomic world “Sea rice”, a food rich in nutritional virtues that could revolutionize nutrition almost all over the world. Similar to the classic one but with over 50% nutritional properties, marine wheat is produced from the oceanic plant capable of absorbing carbon dioxide faster than the Amazon forest. A signed discovery Angel León, the Spanish chef who for decades has been trying to transform the oceans into "marine gardens" for a more sustainable future for both man and the planet. With three Michelin stars in Aponiente and one in Alevante, Ángel León is a true Christopher Columbus of marine resources.
Known as "the cook of the sea", León sees the marine world as the answer to many of the problems plaguing this century. One of the solutions to reduce theecological footprint, counter the climate change, feed one population destined to grow exponentially but also to replace breeding techniques and crops that are no longer sustainable.
It all started 4 years ago with the discovery of a plant in the bay of Cadiz, the so-called Zostera marina present in many coasts of the whole world. The famous chef's curiosity was aroused by an article published in Science in 1973 which documented the diet of a population of Mexican hunters and gatherers, the so-called Seri. Apparently these used to consume the cereals obtained from the marine plant after a long manufacturing process. At that point, the Spanish chef submitted the grain of the plant to the analysis of a scientific committee to certify the possibility that it could be considered a new ingredient. After that he started cultivating it in an area of 2 hectares. Then in 2017 the second phase of the research started: the study of the beans for their characteristics and properties. Many of these have highlighted the high nutritional qualities of marine cereal: rich in fibers, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins (A,B,E), fundamental amino acids, a significant percentage of glucose, low in fat and high in Omega 3 and 6. The grains are elongated and have an iodized taste. Being then gluten-free, seafood rice can be considered to all intents and purposes a real "superfood".
However, seafood rice is not the only discovery of the Spanish chef. Beyond the plankton, the mortadella obtained from the sea bass, while using the moray eel to reproduce the gut, from the hake a dish of fettuccine and from the mussels the black pudding. And he doesn't end there, he managed to get the rupee from the sea marine honey, very similar to what we produce on land and sea bacon made with smoked pineapple and sea bream belly. All inventions that draw from traditional dishes but reworked in a marine key, such as tomatoes, pears or sea artichokes.
And why not a cereal? Halfway between rice and quinoa, sea rice is a very common and well-known aquatic plant but no one had ever thought of making it edible. With over two years of life, it is a very versatile cereal which can also be ground to obtain a flour to prepare light and nutritious bread and pasta, or crushed to make an oil and if left to ferment it can become an excellent sake.
A true treasure of the sea that could also lead to a real redevelopment of the coastal areas. In fact, to study it, old fish farms and salt pans abandoned for years have been restored. But there are also other advantages, especially from an economic point of view, given that it is an annual and non-seasonal plant, for example very high productivity, with a yield between 5 and 7 tons per hectare and which does not require any fertilizer or pesticide, as it is free from diseases and parasites. And obviously from an environmental point of view it has enormous potential: captures carbon dioxide, cleans the sea and retains sediments creating a refuge and breeding environment for shrimps and seahorses. Furthermore, growing in the sea, it does not need water for cultivation.
However, this type of cultivation is not without its difficulties. It's a delicate plant that requires a lot of attention, from light to temperature to electricity. Despite this, the Cadiz chef does not give up, believing that if well controlled, seafood rice can become the food of the future.
