Spirulina and its myriad benefits

Tour of a spirulina farm
  • Intensely Biodiverse
  • The north coast
catherine_dionisi_-_irt_2018_-_image_zone2_bis.jpgCatherine Dionisi Irt 2018 Image Zone2 Bis.jpg
©Catherine Dionisi Irt 2018 Image Zone2 Bis.jpg
Meet Catherine

Enjoy a vitamin filled blue algae drink ! 

Reunion Island is

A zarlor (a treasure) in terms of nature, culture, encounters

Your perfect day

Starts with a glass of spirulina, continues with a riverside walk and ends with dancing to some Maloya.

Your favourite place

The beach at Le Tremblet, between the ephemeral waterfall, the blue of the ocean and the ribbons of frozen lava.

Your passion

Dancing ! Dancing to Maloya ! Bringing Reunion to life through Maloya, its instruments, its beats, its artists.

Your favourite dish

“Boucané bringelle”, just thinking about it makes my mouth water, even though I hardly eat meat any more.

Your favourite artist

Zanmari Baré, a great poet, who manages to be both sensitive and funny. His albums “Voun” and “Mayok flèr” are both wonderful; he regularly plays concerts throughout the island.

THE 100% PÉI MICRO-ALGAE

The sky is bright blue on the morning of my meeting with the dynamic Catherine in the highlands of Sainte-Marie to visit an unusual place, often kept secret Surrounded by fields of sugar cane, the Run Spirit aquaculture farm grows a unique, 100% local product that I am about to discover and taste : Spirulina.

 

Spirulina from the water to the plate: when the invisible becomes visible !

Catherine, a seasoned and passionate consumer, welcomes us in front of the farm, under the verandah. With a straw hat perched on her head, she sets our curious group a little quiz about spirulina and its benefits. In the distance, we hear the sound of the water moving in the old commercial greenhouses which have since been transformed into growing tanks covering an area of 1,500m2.

Most people have heard about Spirulina. This blue-green freshwater micro-algae, mainly grown in Chad, has significant, scientifically proved nutritional properties. “The food of the century” is an excellent food supplement for athletes or for people like me, who want to increase their energy levels, sleep better, boost their mood, improve their concentration. The conditions on Reunion Island are perfect for growing it. For 5 years now, the Run Spirit farm has been selling locals a unique product which is part of an exemplary eco-friendly initiative.

And so begins our tour. As we approach the tanks which are only a few centimetres deep, the Spirulina is not visible to the naked eye. We can only make out the colour of the water, a very bright blue-green. This is the playground of Sylvain, the owner of the farm. He’s the scientist!

In the laboratory, wearing our mob caps, we carefully watch the team transforming it into a thick paste, called “biomass”. A huge green jelly, full of water which, once dried out looks a bit like a soft and compact cake, very smooth to the touch. Once dried and finally transformed into small dry flakes, which are more of a dark grey colour, the Spirulina is then ready to be tasted!

 

The tasting : Spirulina in all its forms.

At the end of the tour, Catherine gets excited. A small buffet awaits us in front of the farm. While the nutritional benefits of Spirulina are undeniable, its strong salty smell and unusual taste mean that aspiring chefs have to demonstrate imagination and daring to taste it. We are given little savoury shot glasses – delicious.

We also taste Spirulina butter on toast, served with a fresh lemon juice, straight from Catherine’s garden. Now it’s time to chat and share recipes and tips in a homely atmosphere.

I leave convinced and enthusiastic, clutching my little recipe booklet.
Reunion Island Spirulina – I’m going to start using it first thing in the morning !

An eco-friendly initiative

A 100% local product

A unique tour for young and old alike

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