Icelandic Lichen Bread

[Carrot Top]

I just ran across a recipe for Icelandic Lichen Bread: Lichen Bread

Icelandic Lichen Flatbread

1 packed cup Iceland moss (measured after soaking)

1 1/2 c rye flour

1/2 c stoneground whole wheat flour

a pinch of salt

boiling water as needed

(1 cup soaked Iceland moss is about 2 cups dried.) The Iceland moss is

soaked for a few minutes in lukewarm water to soften it, then drained and

chopped (I use a food processor). Mix it with rye flour, wheat flour and

salt, then gradually add boiling water and stir well, until you have a stiff

but pliable dough. Divide it into 12 equal pieces, roll them out thinly and

cut out a round cake, 7-8 inches in diameter. Prick them with a fork.

As for the baking - well, in the old days they were either baked directly on

the hot embers of the kitchen fire or on a large hot stone.

There is also a recipe there for Icelandic Lichen Milk Soup.

Anyone out there with more lichen recipes to share?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Ah yes, another wild lichen recipe chase ...

Iceland moss is not a moss really, but a type of lichen that was much used in many kinds of dishes--breads, soups, porridge, meat dishes, and so forth ...

That said, Karen, there is Icelandic Mountain Grass Tea ... recipe here but en francais ... ... and another in English here

lichens are also used as coloring ..purple mostly ...

[Carrot Top]

Ah yes, another wild lichen recipe chase ...

lichens are also used as coloring ..purple mostly ...

←

I need to know these things, Melissa, just in case I ever get lost in the woods with only my little Swiss Army knife and a lichen pot to cook in.

Purple. . .nice. . .the "royal" color, no?

Found some more lichen recipes to add to my file:

Lichen Bannock

Pit cook or steam black tree lichen (Bryoria fuscescens)

It turns into a hardened licorice tasting "bannock". It can be cooked with berries like saskatoons to add sweetness and flavour.

from Bannock Awareness, Printed in Celebration of National Aboriginal Day

and

Cultures would make the lichen into a flour substitute for bread recipes. The lichen was also used as a gelling agent and added to lemon, sugar, or chocolate to make candy. During the famine in the early 1800’s, Norway used the lichen as a main food source. In Russia, during World War II, the lichen was used to prepare molasses.

from Healthy Ingredients

Also found lichen in a packet of Indian tikka masala sauce

Ingredient List: Onion, Coriander, Cashew Nut, Red Chili, Garlic, Ginger, Cumin, Sea Salt, Corn Starch, Safflower Oil, Turmeric, Fenugreek Leaves, Green Coriander, Cassia, Bay Leaf, Mace, Lichen.

on this site so if I decide to stay in the woods and do a start-up company based on lichen-cious goods, the path has already been paved. Undoubtedly backers would flock in droves to invest in this.