Fat choy | |
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Nostoc flagelliforme under a microscope | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Cyanobacteria |
Class: | Cyanophyceae |
Order: | Nostocales |
Family: | Nostocaceae |
Genus: | Nostoc |
Species: |
N. flagelliforme
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Binomial name | |
Nostoc flagelliforme Harv.exMolinari, Calvo-Pérez & Guiry, 2016[1] | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Fat choy | |||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 髮菜 | ||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 发菜 | ||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | "hair vegetable" | ||||||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 頭毛菜 | ||||||||||||||
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Fat choy (traditional Chinese: 髮菜; simplified Chinese: 发菜; pinyin: fàcài; Jyutping: faat³ coi³; Nostoc flagelliforme) is a terrestrial cyanobacterium (a type of photosynthetic bacteria) that is used as a vegetable in Chinese cuisine. When dried, the product has the appearance of black hair. For that reason, its name in Chinese means "hair vegetable". When soaked, fat choy has a soft texture which is like very fine vermicelli.
Fat choy grows on the ground in the Gobi Desert and the Qinghai Plateau. Over-harvesting on the Mongolian steppes has furthered erosion and desertification in those areas. The Chinese government has limited its harvesting, which has caused its price to increase.[2]
Commercially available fat choy has been found to be adulterated with strands of a non-cellular starchy material, with other additives and dyes.[2][3] Real fat choy is dark green in color, while the counterfeit fat choy appears black.[2]
Its name in Cantonese sound the same as a Cantonese phrase meaning "struck it rich" (though the second syllable, coi, has a different tone) -- this is found, for example, in the Cantonese saying, "Gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4" (恭喜發財, meaning "wishing you prosperity"), often proclaimed during Chinese New Year. Therefore, it is a popular ingredient for the Chinese New Year, like in the reunion dinner. It is enjoyed as an alternative to cellophane noodles.[citation needed] It is mostly used in Cantonese cuisine and Buddhist cuisine. It is sometimes used as a hot pot ingredient.
Due to its high price, fat choy is considered a luxury food, and only used in limited occasions. It is not eaten as a staple.[4]
Fat choy is also used in Vietnamese cuisine. It is called tóc tiênortóc thiêng (literally "angel's hair") in Vietnamese.
N. flagelliforme has no nutritional value,[dubious – discuss] and also contains beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), a toxic amino acid that could affect the normal functions of nerve cells and is linked to degenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and dementia.[5] Not all real fat choy samples contains BMAA according to an 2009 study, with the maximum concentration being 658.5 ng/g. Imitation fat choy does not contain BMAA.[4]
Across a 28-day duration, laboratory rats fed N. flagelliforme and the control group did not exhibit significant differences in any toxicological parameters.[6]
The algae and its extracts reduce the inflammatory action of white blood cells, specifically macrophages and splenocytes, in vitro.[7]
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Nostoc commune var. flagelliforme |
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Nostoc commune |
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Nostoc flagelliforme |
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