irish moss
• noun
A purple or reddish-brown marine red alga (Chondrus crispus) native to the rocky Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America, harvested as a sea vegetable.
"Coastal foragers harvest Irish moss at low tide from the cold, rocky shores of the North Atlantic."
The dried, bleached fronds or gelatinous extract of the Chondrus crispus seaweed, widely used in cooking as a natural thickening, stabilizing, and gelling agent in puddings, soups, and dairy products, as well as a fining agent in brewing.
"The traditional pudding recipe calls for simmering dried Irish moss in milk until the mixture thickens into a smooth custard."
A low-growing, mat-forming perennial evergreen plant (Sagina subulata) in the pink family Caryophyllaceae, native to Europe and cultivated as an ornamental groundcover for its dense, moss-like emerald foliage and tiny, star-shaped white flowers that bloom in late spring and summer.
"We planted Irish moss between the garden stepping stones, and by June it was dotted with tiny white blossoms."
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