Agar-agar

Agar-agar is a natural gelling agent derived from red algae (Gracilaria or Gelidium). The agar agar may be in the form of fibres or powder.

Agar-agar is a neutral taste gelling agent that can be mixed with many ingredients. It is not sensitive to degradation by acids, enzymes present in the other ingredients (bromelain present in pineapple, papain in papaya).

For example, it makes it possible to produce products with a high resistance to lactic ferments (yogurts) and can be incorporated from the initial mixing of the ingredients in yogurts as well as in acidic fruit jams (grapefruit, pineapple, orange).

Agar may have been discovered in Japan in 1658 by Mino Tarōzaemon , an innkeeper who, according to the legend, was said to have discarded surplus seaweed soup and noticed that it gelled later after a winter night's freezing. Over the following centuries, agar became a common gelling agent in several Southeast Asian cuisines.

Agar-agar has been known for many centuries in Japan for its nutritional, detoxifying and slimming properties. It contains only three calories per gram, has a low glycemic index. And is full of minerals: iron, calcium, phosphorus, etc.

The agar should be boiled to activate. The gelling power is activated when the temperature of the preparation falls, around 30 ° C. As the gelling power is very important, it is important to respect the dosage to the nearest gram. Agar-agar can be heated for a long time and kept solid at high temperature (up to over 70 ° C) or on the contrary if melted (up to 95 ° C), it can be kept liquid up to the temperature of 40 ° -50 ° C. The agar has a gelling power approximately 8 times greater than that of gelatin. So beware of overdose.

Know that for a medium firmness, you need 2gr (or 1 small teaspoon) agar-agar per 50cl of liquid.