Invented in Japan, kanten, or agar, originates from Chinese tokoroten and began being produced in the Edo period (1603–1868). Although often confused with gelatin, it is different in a number of ways, ...

The forerunner of kanten is tokoroten noodles, created by boiling tengusa or similar seaweed, setting the strained liquid into blocks and then using a special press cutter to form it into noodles.

When he started recognizing people in the crowd and saw Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Executive Director Nicole DeBoer holding a big check, with Kanten's name on it no less, it still hadn't quite ...