Researchers have discovered a new strain of seaweed that tastes like bacon when it’s cooked. The story comes via Business Insider, so it must be true, right? (Please let it be true.)

The seaweed is a form of red marine algae that has twice the nutritional value of kale and grows along the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines. People in northern Europe have apparently been eating it for centuries. (Why didn’t they tell us?)

Oregon State’s Food Innovation Centre has created a range of foods with the seaweed as its main ingredient, and the team thinks the vegan and vegetarian markets may be interested in a product that could be commercialised.

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Red algae. Photo by Elaine with Grey Cats.