This Dutch Hamburger Is Made From Weed, Man . . . Seaweed

The company wants to see a new kind of sustainable agriculture—seagriculture—take off. “It tastes like chicken.”

Despite what its name might imply, the Dutch Weed Burger won’t get you high. The burger is made from Dutch-grown seaweed, and the entrepreneurs behind it are hoping that it will help kickstart a new type of sustainable agriculture—seagriculture—in the Netherlands.

“We can easily grow a nutrient-dense, protein-rich food in the sea,” says Mark Kulsdom, cofounder of the Dutch Weed Burger. “To do that on land is becoming more of a problem. With raising animals, now we’ve reached a certain level where it’s not sustainable anymore. We can’t sustain the environment, and the environment can’t sustain this industry.”

Because of its unique structure, the proteins in seaweed can serve as a reasonable substitute—at least in terms of nutrition—for meat. “We eat animals for their proteins because meat has the right combination that is very digestible for our bodies, at least up to a certain point,” says Kulsdom. “And of all plants, seaweed is very close to that.”

The patty for the Dutch Weed Burger is made with kombu seaweed mixed with roasted, textured soy to create a meat-like bite. It comes with a bun filled with micro-algae, another good source of protein and other nutrients. The vegan “weed sauce” for the patty is made with Dutch sea lettuce.

It doesn’t taste like a standard burger, but people seem to like it; it’s already being served in 70 restaurants in the Netherlands.

“It tastes like chicken,” Kulsdom says. “And the seaweed has a sort of ocean flavor. We neutralize that taste a little bit. We’re not making it a super strong seaweed taste so that only the diehard seaweed lovers like it. We really tried to reach out to all the people who are not interested in vegetarian food at all.”

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