# Sea cucumbers as food

Sea cucumbers as food are the uses as food of marine animals belonging to numerous species of the class Holothuroidea. These invertebrate species are used as food, in fresh or dried form, in various cuisines, especially in East Asia and Southeast Asia. As a food substance, sea cucumbers have a slippery, gelatinous texture, a bland taste, and an excellent capacity for absorbing fluids and flavors. Sea cucumber dishes often include vegetables, such as wax gourd, gai lan, and Chinese cabbage; seasonings, such as wasabi, ginger, and Sichuan pepper; and other ingredients, e.g. conpoy and shiitake mushroom.

## Quotes

* Sea cucumbers (hai shen, 海參) are one of the most important ingredients in Chinese haute cuisine and have been a major trading commodity in Asia for at least 350 y. The delicacy is not exclusive to China, with nearby neighbors like South Korea having developed distinct sea cucumber foodways of their own. There are some 1,200 species of sea cucumbers in the world, inhabiting a broad range of water depths and climates. At present, over 70 species are traded commercially, with strong demand for particular varieties raising concerns about overexploitation. To pursue practical management strategies, it is important to understand the diversity of sea cucumber foodways in Asia, such as the morphological distinction between ci shen (spiky) and guang shen (shiny, or nonspiky) varieties and their different means of preparation. Sea cucumber dishes, once the sole product of wild fishing and preparation at sit-down restaurants, have increasingly become commoditized and have even entered the fast-food scene, with corresponding effects on global trade.
** Jun Akamine, "Chapter 4. The McDonaldization of the sea cucumber: Changes in foodways of an ancient delicacy in Northeastern Asia". The World of Sea Cucumbers: Challenges, Advances, and Innovations. Elsevier. 2023. pp. 51–63. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-95377-1.00013-8. ISBN 0323953786. (edited by Annie Mercier, Jean-Francois Hamel, Andrew Suhrbier, and Christopher Pearce; quote from p. 51; See McDonaldization.)
* Sea cucumbers are eaten either raw, boiled, or pickled. In Japan and Korea the body wall and viscera of sea cucumbers are eaten raw or pickled (Mottet, 1976; Conand, 1986). The most important sea cucumber product, however, is the dried body wall which is marketed as bêche-de-mer ... , also called trepang or hai-som, throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific (Conand, 1989a).
** Chantal Conand and Maria Byrne, (1993). "A review of recent developments in the world sea cucumber fisheries". Marine Fisheries Review 55 (4): 1-13.
* BECHE DE MER, 海參 hai shén or sea slug; Holothuria; a dainty with the Chinese; found in the Pacific islands and the Indian archipelago. It is sometimes over a foot long and two or three inches in diameter. It resembles the rind of pork in appearance and taste. The value imported in 1916 was Hk. Tls. 1,514,548.
** Samuel M.A. Couling, "Bêche de mer". Encyclopaedia Sinica. Global Oriental Ltd. 2007. p. 46. ISBN 9004213465. 1st edition. Shanghai: Kelly Walsh Ltd. 1917.

## External links

* Sea cucumber recipes. Pacific Sea Cucumber Harvesters Association (PSCHA).
* (May 4, 2022)"How to prepare live sea cucumber with Chef Robin Kort". Swallow Tail Culinary Adventures, YouTube. Chef Robin Kort, based in Vancouver, teaches classes in foraging.