Sea cucumbers and the food product are commonly known as bêche-de-mer in French,from Portuguesebicho do mar (lit.'sea animal'),espardenya in Catalan,[1]trepang (or trīpang) in Indonesian,namako in Japanese,balatan in Tagalog,loli in Hawaiian,deniz patlıcanı ('sea aubergine') in Turkish and minch' i mari in Sicilian. In Malay,it is known as the gamat.[2]
The Philippine balatan or sea cucumber breeding/harvesting
Sea cucumbers destined for food are traditionally harvested by hand from small watercraft,a process called "trepanging" after the Indonesian Malay word for sea cucumber teripang.[3] They are dried for preservation,and must be rehydrated by boiling and soaking in water for several days. They are mainly used as an ingredient in Chinese cuisine soups and stews.
Many commercially important species of sea cucumber are harvested and dried for export for use in Chinese cuisine as 海参 (hǎishēn). Some of the more commonly found species in markets include:[4]
Haisom cah jamur,Chinese Indonesian sea cucumber with mushroomDried sea cucumbers
Holothuria edulis (Pinkfish,or common edible sea cucumber,or the pink and black sea cucumber)
Western Australia has sea cucumber fisheries from Exmouth to the border of the Northern Territory;almost all of the catch is sandfish (Holothuria scabra). The fishing of the various species known as bêche-de-mer is regulated by state and federal legislation.
In the far north of Queensland,Australia,sea cucumber are harvested from the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Targeted species include Holothuria noblis (white teatfish),Holothuria whitmaei (black teatfish) and H. scabra (sand fish). Divers are supplied air via hose or "hookah" from the surface and collect their catch by hand,diving to depths of up to 40 m.
The Asian market for sea cucumber is estimated to be US$60 million.[citation needed] The dried form accounts for 95% of the sea cucumber traded annually in China,Singapore,Malaysia,Korea,and Japan.[citation needed]
It is typically used in Chinese cuisines. The biggest re-exporters in the trade are Mainland China,Hong Kong,and Singapore.[16] Of the 650 species of sea cucumbers,just 10 species have commercial value.[16] In 2013,the Chinese government cracked down on the purchasing of sea cucumbers by officials as their expensive price tag could be seen as a sign of opulence.[17]
In Japan,sea cucumber is also eaten raw,as sashimi or sunomono,and its intestine is also eaten as konowata,which is salted and fermented food (a variety of shiokara). The dried ovary of sea cucumber is also eaten,which is called konoko (このこ) or kuchiko (くちこ).
It is also considered a delicacy in the northwestern Mediterranean,particularly in Catalan cuisine,often as an ingredient in rice dishes.[citation needed]
Sea cucumbers are considered non-kosher in Jewish dietary law,since they lack scales.[18]
Culinary use
Both a fresh form and a dried form are used for cooking,though its preparation is complex due to its taste being entirely "tasteless and bland".[19][self-published source?] In the Suiyuan shidan,the Chinese Qing Dynasty manual of gastronomy,it is stated:"As an ingredient,sea cucumbers have little to no taste,are full of sand,and are fishy in smell. For these reasons,it is also the most difficult ingredient to prepare well." (海參，無味之物，沙多氣腥，最難討好。) Much of the preparation of sea cucumber goes into cleaning and boiling it,then stewing it in meat broths and extracts to infuse each sea cucumber with flavour.[20]
In Chinese medicine,sea cucumber is considered useful for treating tendonitis and arthritis,along with functioning as an aphrodisiac,among other claims. Gamat has also been traditionally used by Malays for wound healing,painkilling,and the treatment of stomach ulcers.[2] A couple of studies have found that sea cucumber possesses anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties.[21][22]
Following campaigns encouraging people to avoid shark fin soup,sea cucumber has become an increasingly popular replacement in China.[23]:270
Cooked sea cucumber
Sea cucumber dish
Fried sea cucumber
Braised sea cucumber
Braised sea cucumber with mushrooms,pork,and tea eggs
Sea cucumber rice roll
Sea cucumber with scallions,a famous Shandong dish
↑RAMOFAFIA C.; BYRNE M.; BATTAGLENE S. C (2003). "Development of three commercial sea cucumbers, Holothuria scabra, H. fuscogilva and Actinopyga mauritiana: larval structure and growth". Marine and Freshwater Research. 54 (5): 657–667. Bibcode:2003MFRes..54..657R. doi:10.1071/MF02145. ISSN1323-1650.
↑Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Holothuria scabra" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
↑Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2020). "Holothuria arguinensi" in SeaLifeBase. April 2020 version.
↑Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Holothuria spinifera" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
↑Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Holothuria fuscogilva" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
↑Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Thelenota ananas" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
↑Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Acaudina molpadioides" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
↑Brown, S.; Hart, A. (May 2004). "Beche-de-mer fishery status report"(PDF). State of the fisheries report. Department of fisheries. p.3. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
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