Dulse (Palmaria Palmata / Dillisk)

Palmaria palmata, or dulse, is a red seaweed that grows wild in the cold waters of the Northwest Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. An edible seaweed with shades ranging from red to dark purple, dulse is characterized by its unique color and the way it grows on the face of rocks and boulders. The first recorded use of seaweeds in North America was in the early 1600s when it was offered to scurvy-ridden European sailors by the native Indians of the East Coast of Canada. Writings from approximately 600 AD tell of St. Columba and the monks of Iona eating it.

Dulse is painstakingly harvested by hand during a short summer season of June to October. Once debris (such as shells) is removed and dried in the sun, it is ready to be flaked, powdered, and shipped. Otherwise, it is simply packed and shipped.

It is commonly used as a:

• cooking ingredient,
• snack,
• body scrub