Nori has been eaten in Japan since at least the eighth century. Nori was first collected as it grew on oyster shells, rocks, wood, and other aquatic detritus in shallow waters of mineral-rich estuary regions, where the rivers empty into the sea. In a compatible environment plants grow quickly, and can go from spore to harvest-ready in 45 days. Nori was eaten as a paste for hundreds of years, but in 1750 an inventive resident in Edo (modern Tokyo) applied the principles of paper-making to nori processing. This person, whose name has been lost to time, gave the world dried nori sheets, which we still enjoy today wrapped around sushi.