- Sea vegetable
- 青のり
Aonori
Sprinkles from the sea.
Flavor profile
Oceanocean 85%
Umamiumami 75%
Grassfresh 55%
Grassgrassy 45%
The strengths are editorial judgments on a scale within the family, not measurements. They can be compared across the seaweed and kelp varieties, not directly against another family.
Aonori is a green seaweed dried into flakes or fine threads and used as a sprinkle seasoning. The flavor is fresh, ocean-like and rich in umami, and unlike the sheet-form nori, aonori needs no cooking: it goes straight over the rice, the eggs, the popcorn or the potatoes just before serving.
Sensory analysis
Pyramid and character
Aroma
from the bag
- ocean
- fresh seaweed
Taste
on the tongue
- umami
- saltiness
- green notes
Finish
what lingers
- sea breeze
- long umami
Character 0-100 per axis, set relative to the other entries in the same family. An editorial judgment of a typical serving, not measurements.
Background
Facts
- Form
- dried flakes (flake) or fine threads (suji)
- Use
- sprinkled over finished food; classic on okonomiyaki, takoyaki and yakisoba
- Flavor core
- umami from glutamate, ocean notes, grassy freshness
- Suji aonori
- considered the most aromatic and finest of the aonori types
- Cultivation
- the wild harvest in the Shimanto River in Kochi, the classic suji-aonori region, fell to zero in 2020 when the water at the river mouth grew too warm; today the variety is farmed on land in clean underground seawater
- Storage
- airtight, dark and dry; moisture is the worst enemy
Keep exploring
Related in the Zukan
- Seaweed and kelpFamily
- NoriSea vegetable
- MozukuSea vegetable
- UmamiConcept
- DashiConcept
- FurikakeFamily
- Nori komiFurikake variety
- AosaSea vegetable
- SpicesFamily
- Shichimi togarashiSpice
Shop and journal
At Nekko
Evidence
Sources
- Aonori (Wikipedia) (retrieved 2026-08-08)
- Nekko Journal: Nori vs aonori (retrieved 2026-08-08)
- すじ青のりについて (Sea Vegetable Company) (retrieved 2026-08-12)