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Culinary use of agar-agar from the red seaweeds of the genera Gelidium, Gracilaria and Pterocladia goes back to ancient times. Uses have included making jellies and emulsions and for stabilisation of foods. In Japan agar-agar is called Kanten, meaning literally cold gel, which alludes to the small indsutrial method of production by a freeze-thaw routine. The name agar-agar is in fact Malayan, where agar means gelatine. As is the custom in the Polynesian languages, the repeated word gives an emphasis which then translates as pure-gelatine. For more than 300 years, the beneficial dietary effects have been known in the Far East ( Japan , China , Korea and Indonesia ) and culinary use has been widespread. Popular culture associates consumption with longevity, and agar-agar is generally consumed for joint problems and to help with satiety in the diet. |