Agar-agar

An extract of seaweed (also know as Bengal isinglass and Japanese or Ceylon moss) from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It comes in either small transparent strips or powdered form. The Japanese use it in soups. However, its most common use is in commercial food products such as deserts, soups, ice creams, and sauces. Probably, because agar-agar dissolves in water over low heat and upon cooling sets into a jelly.