Sea cucumbers as food

Sea cucumbersare marine animals of the classHolothuroidea. They can be used as food, in fresh or dried form, in various cuisines. In some cultural contexts the sea cucumber is thought to have medicinal value.
The creature and the food product are commonly known asbêche-de-merinFrench, fromPortuguesebicho do mar(literally "sea animal"),espardenyainCatalan,trepang(ortrīpang) inIndonesian,namakoinJapanese,balataninTagalog,loliinHawaiian,deniz patlıcanı(sea aubergine) inTurkishand "minch' i mari" inSicilian. InMalay, it is known as thegamat.
Most cultures inEastandSoutheast Asiaregard sea cucumbers as adelicacy. Several dishes are made with sea cucumber, and in most dishes, it has a slippery texture. Common ingredients that go with sea cucumber dishes includewinter melon,conpoy,kai-lan,shiitake mushroom, andChinese cabbage.
Many sea cucumber species are endangered and are at risk ofoverfishingdue to their consumption.
Sea cucumbers destined for food are traditionally harvested by hand from small watercraft, a process called "trepanging" after theIndonesianMalay word for sea cucumberteripang.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 inChinese cuisineas 海参 (pinyin: hǎishēn). Some of the more commonly found species in markets include:
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 asbêche-de-meris regulated by state and federal legislation.
Five other species are targeted in the state'sbêche-de-mer harvest, these areHolothuria nobilis(black teatfish),Holothuria whitmaei(black fish),Thelenota ananas(prickly redfish),Actinopyga echninitis(deep-water redfish), andHolothuria atra(lolly fish).
In the far north of Queensland, Australia, sea cucumber are harvested from the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Targeted species includeHolothuria noblis(white teatfish),Holothuria whitmaei(black teatfish) andH. 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.
From the 17th or 18th century CE onwards, traders fromSulawesiestablishedextensive seasonal trade linkswith theIndigenouspeoples of theKimberley region, the modern-day Northern Territory, andArnhem Land.They collectedtrepang(sea cucumber) in particular to supply markets in Southern China.
The Asian market for sea cucumber is estimated to beUS$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 inChinese cuisines. The biggest re-exporters in the trade are Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.Of the 650 species of sea cucumbers, just 10 species have commercial value.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.
In Japan, sea cucumber is also eaten raw, assashimiorsunomono, and its intestine is also eaten askonowata, which is salted and fermented food (a variety ofshiokara).
The dried ovary of sea cucumber is also eaten, which is calledkonoko(このこ) orkuchiko(くちこ).
It is also considered a delicacy in the northwestern Mediterranean, particularly inCatalan cuisine, often as an ingredient in rice dishes.
Sea cucumbers are considered non-kosherin Jewish dietary law, since they lack scales.
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".In theSuiyuan shidan, the ChineseQing Dynastymanual ofgastronomy, 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.
Chinese folk belief attributes male sexual health andaphrodisiacqualities to the sea cucumber, as it physically resembles aphallus, and uses a defence mechanism similar toejaculationas it stiffens and squirts its own entrails at the aggressor. It is also considered a restorative fortendonitisandarthritis.
Following campaigns encouraging people to avoidshark fin soup, sea cucumber has become an increasingly popular replacement in China.