{{Short description|Species of seaweed}} {{Speciesbox | image = Tiny Marine Plant.jpg | image_caption = ''Caulerpa&nbsp;lentillifera'' in Chonburi, Thailand | genus = Caulerpa | species = lentillifera | authority = J.Agardh, 1837<ref>{{cite journal |last=Agardh |first=Jacob Georg |author-link=Jacob Georg Agardh |date=1837 |title=Novae species algarum, quas in itinere ad oras maris rubri collegit Eduardus Rüppell; cum observationibus nonnullis in species rariores antea cognitas |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45886470#page/193/mode/1up |journal=Museum Senckenbergianum. Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der beschreibenden Naturgeschichte |volume=2 |pages=169–174 |access-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327192214/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45886470#page/193/mode/1up |url-status=live }}</ref> }}

'''''Caulerpa lentillifera''''' or '''sea grape''' is a species of ulvophyte green algae from coastal regions in the Asia-Pacific. This seaweed is one of the favored species of edible ''Caulerpa'' due to its soft and succulent texture. It is traditionally eaten in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, Oceania, and East Asia. It was first commercially cultivated in the Philippines in the 1950s, followed by Japan in 1968. Both countries remain the top consumers of ''C. lentillifera''. Its cultivation has since spread to other countries, including Vietnam and China. ''C. lentillifera'', along with ''C. racemosa'', are also known as '''sea grapes''' or '''green caviar''' in English.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sea grapes - green caviar|url=http://www.authenticworldfood.com/en/ingredients/sea-grapes-green-caviar/|website=Authentic World Food|access-date=14 April 2017|archive-date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200524/http://www.authenticworldfood.com/en/ingredients/sea-grapes-green-caviar/|url-status=live}}</ref>

It is a siphonous macroalgae, meaning it is a giant single cell with multiple nuclei, and can grow to 30&nbsp;cm in length. Instead of leaves, the algae has bubbles that burst in the mouth, releasing an umami taste.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/revealing-tasty-genetic-secrets-of-sea-grapes-327502 |title=Revealing Tasty Genetic Secrets of "Sea Grapes" |access-date=2022-11-11 |archive-date=2022-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111214128/https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/revealing-tasty-genetic-secrets-of-sea-grapes-327502 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Biology== ''C. lentillifera'' has a genome of 34Mb, which was sequenced at the University of Amsterdam and published on 21 January 2025 although it has yet to be assembled into chromosomes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caulerpa lentillifera genome assembly clen-v2.0-beta |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/genome/GCA_046862455.1/ |website=NCBI |access-date=26 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> Unusually it has just one Receptor-like kinase (RLK), normally the largest class of signal transduction components in plants.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Zheng |last2=Li |first2=Xingzhe |last3=Li |first3=Jinger |last4=Liu |first4=Qian |last5=Li |first5=Weida |last6=Liu |first6=Jiani |last7=Liu |first7=Dandan |last8=Wang |first8=Long |last9=Yan |first9=Zhi |last10=Fu |first10=Ping |last11=Yu |first11=Feng |title=metaRLK 2.0: an updated database of plant receptor-like kinases developed with structure- and deep learning-based functional annotation and classification |journal=Plant Communications |date=24 February 2026 |volume=0 |issue=0 |doi=10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101781 |url=https://www.cell.com/plant-communications/fulltext/S2590-3462(26)00089-1 |language=English |issn=2590-3462|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Commercial cultivation== Traditionally, ''C. lentillifera'' were harvested directly from the wild. The first commercial cultivation of ''C. lentillifera'' was in the 1950s in Cebu, Philippines, after accidental introduction of ''C. lentillifera'' to fish ponds.<ref name="Trono">{{cite book |last1=Trono |first1=Gavino C. Jr. |title=Manual on Seaweed Culture |date=December 1988 |publisher=ASEAN/UNDP/FAO Regional Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries Development Project |url=http://www.fao.org/3/ac417e/AC417E00.htm |access-date=2020-10-26 |archive-date=2020-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030225307/http://www.fao.org/3/ac417e/AC417E00.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Currently, there are around 400 hectares of ponds on Cebu, producing around 12 to 15 tons of fresh ''C. lentillifera'' per year. They are usually harvested after two months from first planting, and every two weeks afterwards depending on growth rates.<ref name="BAR Digest"/>

Commercial cultivation was followed by Japan in 1986, where it was cultivated in tanks in the warmer waters of Okinawa.<ref name="PROSEA">{{cite web |last1=Trono |first1=G.C. Jr. |title=''Caulerpa lentillifera'' (PROSEA) |url=https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Caulerpa_lentillifera_(PROSEA) |website=Pl@ntUse |publisher=PROSEA (Plant Resources of South East Asia) |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031173114/https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Caulerpa_lentillifera_(PROSEA) |url-status=live }}</ref> Commercial cultivation has since spread to other countries, including Vietnam, and China (in Taiwan, Fujian and Hainan). Most are for domestic consumption, but they are also exported to Japan.<ref name="Chen">{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Xiaolin |last2=Sun |first2=Yuhao |last3=Liu |first3=Hong |last4=Liu |first4=Song |last5=Qin |first5=Yukun |last6=Li |first6=Pengcheng |title=Advances in cultivation, wastewater treatment application, bioactive components of ''Caulerpa lentillifera'' and their biotechnological applications. |journal=PeerJ |date=2019 |volume=7 |article-number=e6118 |doi=10.7717/peerj.6118 |pmid=30643691|pmc=6329336 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Culinary uses== [[Image:Umibudou at Miyakojima01s3s2850.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''Umi-budō'' at Miyakojima, Okinawa prefecture, Japan]] ''Caulerpa lentillifera'', along with ''C. racemosa'', have been traditionally eaten in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, Oceania, and East Asia. They are almost always eaten raw on their own or in salads.<ref name="Paul">{{cite journal |last1=Paul |first1=Nicholas A. |last2=Neveux |first2=Nicolas |last3=Magnusson |first3=Marie |last4=de Nys |first4=Rocky |title=Comparative production and nutritional value of "sea grapes" — the tropical green seaweeds Caulerpa lentillifera and C. racemosa |journal=Journal of Applied Phycology |date=21 December 2013 |doi=10.1007/s10811-013-0227-9|s2cid=15745994 }}</ref> They have been described as tasting "like the ocean." It is known to be rich in iodine.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ratana-arporn |first1=Pattama |last2=Chirapar |first2=Anong |title=Nutritional Evaluation of Tropical Green Seaweeds Caulerpa lentillifera and Ulva reticulata |journal=Kasetsart Journal - Natural Science |date=2006 |volume=40 |pages=75–83 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267256016 |access-date=2020-10-26 |archive-date=2024-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240427180042/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267256016_Nutritional_Evaluation_of_Tropical_Green_Seaweeds_Caulerpa_lentillifera_and_Ulva_reticulata |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the Philippines, ''C. lentillifera'' is usually known as ''latô'' or ''arosep.'' After being washed in clean water, it is usually eaten raw in salads (''ensaladang latô''), with chopped raw shallots and fresh tomatoes, and dressed with a blend of fish sauce or ''bagoóng'' (fish paste) and vinegar. Its popularity has also spread to the Malaysian state of Sabah (where it is spelled ''latok'') due to the migrations of the Bajau peoples.<ref name="Wagey">{{cite journal |last1=Wagey |first1=Billy T |last2=Bucol |first2=Abner A |title=A Brief Note of Lato (Caulerpa racemosa) Harvest at Solong-on, Siquijor, Philippines |journal=e-Journal BUDIDAYA PERAIRAN |date=25 February 2014 |volume=2 |issue=1 |doi=10.35800/bdp.2.1.2014.3793|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="BAR Digest">{{cite web |last1=Dela Cruz |first1=Rita T. |title=Lato: Nutritious Grapes from the Sea |url=https://www.bar.gov.ph/index.php/digest-home/digest-archives/769-2015-4th-quarter/5953-lato-nutritious-grapes-from-the-sea |website=BAR Digest |publisher=Bureau of Agricultural Research, Republic of the Philippines |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=16 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516191159/https://www.bar.gov.ph/index.php/digest-home/digest-archives/769-2015-4th-quarter/5953-lato-nutritious-grapes-from-the-sea }}</ref> They are also coveted by coastal Malay communities (as ''latoh'') in the Riau Archipelago and Singapore, the latter until they were displaced inland late 20th century.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-17/issue-3/oct-dec-2021/|title=The Role of Foraging in Malay Cuisine|last=Khir Johari|date=Oct–Dec 2021|magazine=BiblioAsia|volume=17|issue=3|pages=20–23|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore|access-date=2023-02-01|archive-date=2023-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106234414/https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-17/issue-3/oct-dec-2021/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Okinawa, Japan, it is known as {{nihongo|''umi-budō''|海ぶどう}}, meaning "sea grapes", or ''kubiretsuta''.<ref name="Dawes1998">{{cite book |author=Dawes, Clinton J. |title=Marine botany |publisher=John Wiley |location=New York |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-471-19208-4 }}</ref> It is served dipped in ''ponzu'', made into sushi, added into salads, or eaten as is.<ref>{{cite web |title=Umibudo Sea Grapes |url=https://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/food/umibudo |website=Japan Visitor |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627192727/https://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/food/umibudo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=All About Umibudo (Sea Grapes) - Where to Buy, Recipe, and More! |url=https://www.tsunagujapan.com/umibudo/ |website=tsunagu Japan |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028134639/https://www.tsunagujapan.com/umibudo/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Caulerpa lentillifera'' is also eaten in Vietnam, where it is known as ''rong nho'' or ''rong nho biển'', meaning "grape algae" or "sea grape algae";<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/04/22/food/search-fruits-okinawas-oceans/ |title=In search of the fruits of Okinawa's oceans |last=Jacobs |first=Ananda |date=April 22, 2014 |newspaper=The Japan Times Online |access-date=January 22, 2019 |archive-date=January 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123020303/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/04/22/food/search-fruits-okinawas-oceans/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in Korea, where it is known as ''bada podo'' (바다포도), also meaning "sea grapes"; and in Indonesia (particularly Bali), where it is known as ''bulung.''

==Gallery== <gallery widths="155px" heights="160px" perrow="5" mode="packed"> File:Ensaladang Lato (Seaweed Salad) - Philippines 1.jpg|''Ensaladang latô'' from the Philippines, prepared with vinegar, fish sauce, shallots, and tomatoes File:Okinawa sea grape on sushi.jpg|''Umi-budō'' sushi File:OceanGrapes.jpg|''Umi-budō'' served Okinawan style File:USAID Measuring Impact Conservation Enterprise Retrospective (Philippines; Nagkakaisang Tribu ng Palawan) (26420465388).jpg|Fresh ''latô'' sold at a fish market in the Philippines </gallery>

==See also== * ''Eucheuma'' (Gusô) *Gamet *Nori *Sea lettuce *Sea asparagus

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.lemanger.fr/index.php/reportages/lato-the-strange-sea-salad/?lang=en Lato, the strange sea salad] The trade of the Caulerpa lentillifera in Coron, Philippines * Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013. [http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=3754 Caulerpa lentillifera J.Agardh], AlgaeBase. National University of Ireland, Galway., accessed 19 February 2013. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140401010808/https://seaweedindustry.com/seaweed/type/caulerpa-lentillifera Caulerpa lentillifera], Seaweed Industry Association

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1936864}} {{Philippine cuisine}}

Category:Edible seaweeds lentillifera Category:Japanese cuisine Category:Okinawan cuisine Category:Filipino cuisine Category:Raw foods