FOOD RESOURCE COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
ICELAND MOSS (Cetraria islandica)
Kavasch, Barrie. 1979. Native Harvests. Recipes and Botanicals of the American Indian. Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, New York.
is a common northern lichen, Iceland moss is found growing in broad-cushioned mats of olive green to purple, which pale to gray as they dry. The paper-thin branching growth preferes sandy soil and colder, more exposed terrain. It has long been sought as a medicinal and nutritive tonic to relieve bronchial problems. This licken contains a large amount of starch, which is soluble in boiling water and gelatinizes on cooling. Aside from its nutritive value it improves both the appetite and digestion. Iceland moss is used as flour and in soups, puddings, blancmange, and medicines.
Garrett, Theodore Francis (edited by). 1898. the Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery. L. Upcott Gill, 170, Strand, W.C. London. Vol. II
is one of the lichen tribe (Cetraria islandica) found between the Arctic regions and the North Temperature zone. It is employed as a food for invalids, being considered both nutritious and demulcent. It should b e scalded and then soaked for a time in cold water to extract something of the bitterness, and then it can be boiled and the liquor strained off to form a jelly.
The Wide Encyclopedia of Cookery. An Encyclopedic Handbook for the Homemaker covering Foods and Beverages-their Purchase, Preparation, and Service. 1951. Wm. H. Wise & Co., Inc., New York.
is a lichen used as food, especially in arctic regions whre it is dried, ground, and made into bread. It contains various bitter principles which must be eliminated by repeated washing and by steeping in hot water.
