It's a seaweed, it's a beverage.
Irish moss, also called carrageen moss, grows along rocky coasts on both sides of the Atlantic. When harvested and boiled, it yields a jellylike substance, which thickens a popular Caribbean drink called Irish moss as well as International Juice brand Magnum (10 fl. oz.; $2.49). Though Magnum adds peanuts to its blend of seaweed, sugar, milk solids, and water, it lacks the spices (typically cloves and cinnamon) that give a little zing to more-traditional Irish moss and perhaps bolster its reputation as an aphrodisiac.
I'm not sure what this does to its rep, but Magnum — which is emblazoned with the words "Jamaican original Caribbean style" — notes, in small print, that it's bottled in the considerably more temperate climes of Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Wil & Nino Fish, Fruit, and Vegetables
3618 White Plains Rd. (at 214th St.), Bronx
718-547-0076
