Sea cucumbers as food

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The Philippine balatan or sea cucumber breeding/harvesting AlaminosJf381.JPG
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. [2] 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 or stews.

Many commercially important species of sea cucumber are harvested and dried for export for use in Chinese cuisine as 海参 (pinyin: hǎishēn). Some of the more commonly found species in markets include: [3]

Haisom cah jamur, Chinese Indonesian sea cucumber with mushroom Haisom Cah Jamur 2.JPG
Haisom cah jamur, Chinese Indonesian sea cucumber with mushroom
Dried sea cucumbers Dried sea cucumber.jpg
Dried sea cucumbers

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.

Five other species are targeted in the state's bêche-de-mer harvest, these are Holothuria nobilis (black teatfish), Holothuria whitmaei (black fish), Thelenota ananas (prickly redfish), Actinopyga echninitis (deep-water redfish), and Holothuria atra (lolly fish). [13]

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.

Market

Jar of dried, gutted sea cucumbers at a traditional Chinese medicine emporium in Yokohama, Japan Yokohama Chinese Medicine Sea cucumber 1.jpg
Jar of dried, gutted sea cucumbers at a traditional Chinese medicine emporium in Yokohama, Japan

The trade in trepang, between Macassans seafarers and the aborigines of Arnhem Land, to supply the markets of Southern China is the first recorded example of trade between the inhabitants of the Australian continent and their Asian neighbours.

The Asian market for sea cucumber is estimated to be US$60 million. The dried form accounts for 95% of the sea cucumber traded annually in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, and Japan.

It is typically used in Chinese cuisines. The biggest re-exporters in the trade are Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. [14] Of the 650 species of sea cucumbers, just 10 species have commercial value. [14] 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. [15]

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).

Sea cucumbers are considered non-kosher in Jewish dietary law, since they lack scales. [16]

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". [17] [ 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. [18]

Chinese folk belief attributes male sexual health and aphrodisiac qualities to the sea cucumber, as it physically resembles a phallus, and uses a defence mechanism similar to ejaculation as it stiffens and squirts its own entrails at the aggressor. It is also considered a restorative for tendonitis and arthritis. [1]

Following campaigns encouraging people to avoid shark fin soup, sea cucumber has become an increasingly popular replacement in China. [19] : 270 

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea cucumber</span> Class of echinoderms

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea. They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. They are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of known holothurian species worldwide is about 1,786, with the greatest number being in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of these are gathered for human consumption and some species are cultivated in aquaculture systems. The harvested product is variously referred to as trepang, namako, bêche-de-mer, or balate. Sea cucumbers serve a useful role in the marine ecosystem as they help recycle nutrients, breaking down detritus and other organic matter, after which bacteria can continue the decomposition process.

Sandfish may refer to:

<i>Thelenota ananas</i> Species of sea cucumber

Thelenota ananas, also known as pineapple sea cucumber, oloturia ananas, tripang, prickly skin cucumber, pointed teat sea cucumber, armoured sea cucumber, giant sea cucumber, sand fish or prickly redfish, is a species of sea cucumber found in tropical Indo-Pacific waters from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and Polynesia.

<i>Holothuria mexicana</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria mexicana, the donkey dung sea cucumber, is commonly found in the Caribbean and the Azores. It is a commercially important aspidochirote sea cucumber that can reach a total length of 50 cm (20 in).

<i>Holothuria scabra</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria scabra, or sandfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It was placed in the subgenus Metriatyla by Rowe in 1969 and is the type species of the subgenus. Sandfish are harvested and processed into "beche-de-mer" and eaten in China and other Pacific coastal communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture of sea cucumbers</span>

Sea cucumber stocks have been overexploited in the wild, resulting in incentives to grow them by aquaculture. Aquaculture means the sea cucumbers are farmed in contained areas where they can be cultured in a controlled manner. In China, sea cucumbers are cultured, along with prawns and some fish species, in integrated multi-trophic systems. In these systems, the sea cucumbers feed on the waste and feces from the other species. In this manner, what would otherwise be polluting byproducts from the culture of the other species become a valuable resource that is turned into a marketable product.

<i>Holothuria tubulosa</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria tubulosa, the cotton-spinner or tubular sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is the type species of the genus Holothuria and is placed in the subgenus Holothuria, making its full name Holothuria (Holothuria) tubulosa.

Holothuria spinifera, the brown sandfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is placed in the subgenus Theelothuria, making its full name Holothuria (Theelothuria) spinifera. In India it is known as cheena attai or raja attai. It lives in tropical regions of the west Indo-Pacific Ocean at depths ranging from 32 to 60 metres. It is fished commercially to produce beche-de-mer.

<i>Holothuria edulis</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria edulis, commonly known as the edible sea cucumber or the pink and black sea cucumber, is a species of echinoderm in the family Holothuriidae. It was placed in the subgenus Halodeima by Pearson in 1914, making its full scientific name Holothuria (Halodeima) edulis. It is found in shallow water in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean.

<i>Stichopus</i> Genus of sea cucumbers

Stichopus is a genus of sea cucumbers from the family Stichopodidae.

<i>Actinopyga caerulea</i> Species of sea cucumber

Actinopyga caerulea, the blue sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is native to the tropical Western Indo-Pacific region and is harvested for food.

<i>Actinopyga mauritiana</i> Species of sea cucumber

Actinopyga mauritiana, commonly known as the surf redfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is native to the tropical West Indo-Pacific region and is harvested for food.

<i>Holothuria arguinensis</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria arguinensis is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae and subgenus Roweothuria. It is found in waters off the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. According to some scholarly research, the species is actively expanding its range and colonizing the south-eastern coast of Spain.

Holothuria lessoni, the golden sandfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the genus Holothuria, subgenus Metriatyla. This sea cucumber inhabits the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, where it is found near islands and reef flats. It is highly sought after in commercial and subsistence fishing and the species threatened by overfishing.

<i>Actinopyga varians</i> Species of sea cucumber

Actinopyga varians, the Pacific white-spotted sea cucumber or Hawaiian sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii and also in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Holothuria (Cystipus) cubana is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. This species was first described by Ludwig in 1875.

<i>Bohadschia vitiensis</i> Species of sea cucumber

Bohadschia vitiensis is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is also known as the brown sandfish and brown sea cucumber. It is widespread in shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific. It appears to be able to hybridize with Bohadschia argus.

References

  1. 1 2 Alessandro Lovatelli, C. Conand, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Advances in sea cucumber aquaculture and management: Volume 463 of FAO fisheries technical paper United Nations Food & Agriculture Org., 2004. ISBN   978-92-5-105163-4. 425 pages: 58
  2. ↑ "Teripang". Merriam Webster Dictionary.
  3. ↑ 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. doi:10.1071/MF02145. ISSN   1323-1650.
  4. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Holothuria scabra" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
  5. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2020). "Holothuria arguinensi" in SeaLifeBase. April 2020 version.
  6. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Holothuria spinifera" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
  7. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Holothuria fuscogilva" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
  8. ↑ "Holothuria nobilis, black teatfish : fisheries". www.sealifebase.org. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  9. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Actinopyga mauritiana" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
  10. ↑ Parastichopus californicus Census of Life. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  11. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Thelenota ananas" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
  12. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2011). "Acaudina molpadioides" in SeaLifeBase. November 2011 version.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. 1 2 Huang, Yao-Wen. Liu KeShun. Wang, Catharina Yung-Kang. Ang. [1999] (1999). ISBN   1-56676-736-9
  15. ↑ "Sea cucumbers, abalone off the menu in China frugality drive". Reuters . 2013-05-07.
  16. ↑ "SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS – BUT ARE THEY KOSHER? THE KASHRUS STATUS OF GLUCOSAMINE AND OTHER ARTHRITIS REMEDIES".
  17. ↑ Rone de Beauvoir, 2005. Decadent Meals and Desserts: How to Conjure Up Love with Aprhodisaics. Lulu.com, 2005. ISBN   978-1-882682-01-0, pp60[ self-published source ]
  18. ↑ "Seafoods 2: Three Ways of Preparing Sea Cucumbers (海參三法)". Translating the Suiyuan Shidan. 2014.
  19. ↑ Harrell, Stevan (2023). An Ecological History of Modern China. University of Washington Press. ISBN   978-0-295-75171-9.
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