page_title: Sea cucumber as food
section_title: Market
hierarchical_section_title: Sea cucumber as food / Market
context_page_description: Sea cucumbers are marine animals of the class Holothuroidea. They are used 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 as bêche-de-mer in French, from Portuguese bicho do mar, trepang in Indonesian, namako in Japanese, balatan in Tagalog, loli in Hawaiian and "deniz patlicani" in Turkish. In Malay, it is known as the gamat.
  Most cultures in East and Southeast Asia regard sea cucumbers as a delicacy. A number of dishes are made with sea cucumber, and in most dishes it has a slippery texture. Common ingredients that go with sea cucumber dishes include winter melon, conpoy, kai-lan, shiitake mushroom, and Chinese cabbage.
  Many sea cucumber species are endangered and are at risk of overfishing due to their consumption.
context_section_description: 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. 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, 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.
caption: Jar of dried, gutted sea cucumbers at a traditional Chinese medicine emporium in Yokohama, Japan
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