{{Short description|Marine foodstuff}} {{redirect|Bêche-de-mer|the language| Bislama}} {{Infobox Chinese|title=Sea cucumber|pic=Prickly sea cucumber soup.jpg|picsize=225px|t={{linktext|海|參}}|s={{linktext|海|参}}|p=hǎishēn|j=hoi2 sam1|poj=hái-sam<br/>hái-sim<br/>hái-sum|l=sea ginseng|showflag=pj|hangul=해삼|hanja=海蔘|rr=haesam|mr=haesam|vie=hải sâm}}
Sea cucumbers are benthic echinoderms of the class Holothuroidea that are consumed as seafood, in fresh or dried form, in various Asian and Oceanian cuisines. In some cultural contexts, they are thought to have medicinal value.
Sea cucumbers and the food product are commonly known as {{lang|fr|bêche-de-mer}} in French, from Portuguese {{lang|pt|bicho do mar}} ({{lit|sea animal}}), {{lang|ca|espardenya}} in Catalan,<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Ramón |first1=Montserrat |last2=Lleonart |first2=Jordi |last3=Massutí |first3=Enric |date=June 2010 |title=Royal cucumber (Stichopus regalis) in the northwestern Mediterranean: Distribution pattern and fishery |journal=Fisheries Research |volume=105 |issue=1 |pages=21–27 |doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2010.02.006 |bibcode=2010FishR.105...21R |issn=0165-7836}}</ref> {{lang|id|trepang}} (or {{lang|id|trīpang}}) in Indonesian, {{translit|ja|namako}} in Japanese, {{lang|tl|balatan}} in Tagalog, {{lang|haw|loli}} in Hawaiian, {{lang|tr|deniz patlıcanı}} ('sea aubergine') in Turkish and {{lang|scn|minch' i mari}} in Sicilian. In Malay, it is known as the {{lang|ms|gamat}}.<ref name="Alessandro Lovatelli 2004">{{Cite book |last=Poh-Sze |first=Choo |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_0dge3Xh6EjUC_2/page/n63/mode/2up |title=Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management |date=2004 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization |others=Compiled and edited by Alessandro Lovatelli |pages=57–58 |language=English |chapter=Fisheries trade and utilization of sea cucumber in Malaysia}}</ref>
Most cultures in East and Southeast Asia regard sea cucumbers as a delicacy; in Chinese cuisine, it is one of the four sea delicacies. Several 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 from overfishing due to the food industry's demand for their consumption.
==Harvest== {{Main|Trepanging}} thumb|right|The Philippine {{lang|fil|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 {{lang|id|teripang}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trepang|title=Teripang |work=Merriam Webster Dictionary }}</ref> 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 {{lang|zh|海参}} ({{translit|zh|hǎishēn}}). Some of the more commonly found species in markets include:<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1071/MF02145 |author1=RAMOFAFIA C. |author2=BYRNE M. |author3=BATTAGLENE S. C |title=Development of three commercial sea cucumbers, Holothuria scabra, H. fuscogilva and Actinopyga mauritiana: larval structure and growth|journal=Marine and Freshwater Research |volume=54 |issue=5 |pages=657–667 |year=2003 |bibcode=2003MFRes..54..657R | issn=1323-1650 }}</ref> [[File:Haisom Cah Jamur 2.JPG|thumb|right|''Haisom cah jamur'', Chinese Indonesian sea cucumber with mushroom]] thumb|right|Dried sea cucumbers
*''Holothuria edulis'' (Pinkfish, or common edible sea cucumber, or the pink and black sea cucumber) *''Holothuria scabra'' (sandfish)<ref>{{seaLifeBase species| genus=Holothuria | species= scabra| year=2011 | month=November }}</ref> *''Holothuria arguinensis''<ref>{{seaLifeBase species| genus=Holothuria | species= arguinensi| year=2020 | month=April}}</ref> *''Holothuria spinifera'' (brown sandfish)<ref>{{seaLifeBase species| genus=Holothuria | species= spinifera| year=2011 | month=November }}</ref> *''Holothuria fuscogilva'' (''bat susu'', white teatfish)<ref>{{seaLifeBase species| genus=Holothuria | species= fuscogilva| year=2011 | month=November }}</ref> *''Holothuria nobilis'' (black teatfish)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Holothuria nobilis, black teatfish: fisheries|url=http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Holothuria-nobilis.html|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.sealifebase.org}}</ref> *''Actinopyga mauritiana'' (spiny sea cucumber)<ref>{{seaLifeBase species| genus=Actinopyga | species= mauritiana| year=2011 | month=November }}</ref> *''Apostichopus japonicus'' (Japanese sea cucumber) *''Parastichopus californicus'' (giant California sea cucumber)<ref>[http://www.catalogueoflife.org/details/species/id/6847216 ''Parastichopus californicus''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627184219/https://www.catalogueoflife.org/details/species/id/6847216 |date=2021-06-27 }} ''Census of Life''. Retrieved 26 November 2011.</ref> *''Parastichopus regalis'' (royal sea cucumber'','' or ''espardenya'')<ref name=":0" /> *''Thelenota ananas'' (prickly redfish)<ref>{{seaLifeBase species| genus=Thelenota | species= ananas| year=2011 | month=November }}</ref> *''Acaudina molpadioides''<ref>{{seaLifeBase species| genus=Acaudina | species= molpadioides| year=2011 | month=November }}</ref>
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 {{lang|fr|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).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/sof/2004/sof20042005-0403-11.pdf|title=Beche-de-mer fishery status report |last=Brown|first=S. |author2=Hart, A. |date=May 2004 |work=State of the fisheries report |publisher=Department of fisheries|page=3|access-date=2009-01-03}}</ref>
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== [[File:Yokohama Chinese Medicine Sea cucumber 1.jpg|thumb|Jar of dried, gutted sea cucumbers at a traditional Chinese medicine emporium in Yokohama, Japan]] {{See also|Gamat}} From the 17th or 18th century CE onwards, traders from Sulawesi established extensive seasonal trade links with the Indigenous peoples of the Kimberley region, the modern-day Northern Territory, and Arnhem Land.<ref name="Macknight-2011">{{cite journal | title = The view from Marege': Australian knowledge of Makassar and the impact of the trepangindustry across two centuries | last = Macknight | first = Charles Campbell | journal = Aboriginal History | year = 2011 | volume = 35 | pages = 121–143 | jstor = 24046930 | doi = 10.22459/AH.35.2011.06 | doi-access = free}}</ref> They collected {{lang|ms|trepang}} (sea cucumber) in particular to supply markets in Southern China.<ref name="Macknight-2011"/>
The Asian market for sea cucumber is estimated to be US$60 million.{{cn|date=May 2025}} The dried form accounts for 95% of the sea cucumber traded annually in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, and Japan.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
It is typically used in Chinese cuisines. The biggest re-exporters in the trade are Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.<ref name="Huang">Huang, Yao-Wen. Liu KeShun. Wang, Catharina Yung-Kang. Ang. [1999] (1999). {{ISBN|1-56676-736-9}}</ref> Of the 650 species of sea cucumbers, just 10 species have commercial value.<ref name="Huang" /> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-frugality-idUSBRE94702420130508|title=Sea cucumbers, abalone off the menu in China frugality drive|work=Reuters|date=2013-05-07}}</ref>
In Japan, sea cucumber is also eaten raw, as {{translit|ja|sashimi}} or {{translit|ja|sunomono}}, and its intestine is also eaten as {{translit|ja|konowata}}, which is salted and fermented food (a variety of {{translit|ja|shiokara}}). The dried ovary of sea cucumber is also eaten, which is called {{translit|ja|konoko}} ({{lang|ja|このこ}}) or {{translit|ja|kuchiko}} ({{lang|ja|くちこ}}).
It is also considered a delicacy in the northwestern Mediterranean, particularly in Catalan cuisine, often as an ingredient in rice dishes.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
Sea cucumbers are considered non-kosher in Jewish dietary law, since they lack scales.<ref>{{cite web|title=SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS – BUT ARE THEY KOSHER? THE KASHRUS STATUS OF GLUCOSAMINE AND OTHER ARTHRITIS REMEDIES|date=15 August 2013 |url=http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/medicine/457/she-sells-sea-shells-but-are-they-kosher-the-kashrus-status-of-glucosamine-and-other-arthritis-remedies/}}</ref>
==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".<ref>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|date=June 2022}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}} 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seafoods 2: Three Ways of Preparing Sea Cucumbers (海參三法) |website=Translating the Suiyuan Shidan|url=https://wayoftheeating.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/seafoods-2-three-ways-of-preparing-sea-cucumbers-%E6%B5%B7%E5%8F%83%E4%B8%89%E6%B3%95/|year=2014}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Alessandro Lovatelli 2004"/> A couple of studies have found that sea cucumber possesses anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wong |first1=Hoi Y. |last2=Jaunay |first2=Emma L. |last3=Lau |first3=Wai C. D. |last4=Peake |first4=Brock |last5=Ram |first5=Ravinesh |last6=Southgate |first6=Paul C. |last7=Deo |first7=Permal |date=2023 |title=Holothuria scabra Jaegar 1833 (Sandfish) extracts and collagens modulate protein-bound Nε-carboxymethyllysine, Nε-carboxyethyllysine and methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 levels |journal=International Journal of Food Science & Technology |language=en |publication-place=University of South Australia |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=1962–1969 |doi=10.1111/ijfs.16341 |issn=1365-2621|doi-access=free |hdl=11541.2/33426 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Misgiati |last2=Winarni |first2=Ina |last3=Murniasih |first3=Tutik |last4=Novriyanti |first4=Eka |last5=Tarman |first5=Kustiariyah |last6=Safithri |first6=Mega |last7=Setyaningsih |first7=Iriani |last8=Cahyati |first8=Dela |last9=Pratama |first9=Bima Putra |last10=Wirawati |first10=Ismiliana |date=2024-06-01 |title=The anticancer and antioxidant potential of local sea cucumber Holothuria edulis, an ecology balancer of Labuan Bajo marine ecosystem |journal=Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |location=Indonesia |volume=9 |article-number=100625 |doi=10.1016/j.cscee.2024.100625 |bibcode=2024CSCEE...900625M |issn=2666-0164|doi-access=free }}</ref>
Following campaigns encouraging people to avoid shark fin soup, sea cucumber has become an increasingly popular replacement in China.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harrell |first=Stevan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DiByzwEACAAJ |title=An Ecological History of Modern China |date=2023 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=978-0-295-75171-9 |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=270}}
<gallery> File:Seacucumbercuisine.jpg | Cooked sea cucumber File:Sea cucumber dish 2.jpg | Sea cucumber dish File:Sea cucumber dish 3.jpg | Fried sea cucumber File:Braised Guandong Sea Cucumber with Scallion in Sauce.jpg| Braised sea cucumber File:Sea cucumber dish.jpg | Braised sea cucumber with mushrooms, pork, and tea eggs File:Sea cucumber rice roll.jpg | Sea cucumber rice roll File:Sea Cucumber with Scallions.jpeg | Sea cucumber with scallions, a famous Shandong dish </gallery>
==See also== * {{translit|zh|Bao yu}} * Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Wikisource-inline|list= **{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Bêche-de-Mer|short=x |noicon=x}} **{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bêche-de-Mer|short=x |noicon=x}} **{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Trepang|year=1905|short=x |noicon=x}} }}
{{seafood|state=expanded}} {{Cantonese cuisine}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Sea cucumbers Category:Japanese seafood Category:Indonesian cuisine Category:Cantonese cuisine Category:Hong Kong cuisine Category:Animal-based seafood Category:Korean seafood Category:Sea cucumbers as food Category:Types of food