Hoi sam
Encyclopedia
Sea cucumbers are marine animals of the class Holothuroidea used in fresh or dried form in various cuisines.
The creature and the food product is commonly known as bêche-de-mer (lit. "sea-spade") in French
, trepang (or trīpang) in Indonesian
, namako in Japanese
and in the Philippines it is called balatan. In Malaysian
it is known as the gamat
.
Most cultures in East
and Southeast Asia
regard sea cucumbers as a delicacy
.
There are a number of dishes made with sea cucumber as this ingredient is expected to have a strong cultural emphasis on health. In most dishes, the sea cucumber has a slippery texture. Common ingredients that go with sea cucumber dishes include winter melon
, dried scallop, kai-lan
, Shiitake mushroom
, and Chinese cabbage
.
" (after the Indonesian
noun trepang). They are dried for preservation purposes and have to be rehydrated by boiling and soaking in water for several days. They are mainly used as an ingredient in Chinese cuisine soups or stews.
There are many commercially important species of sea cucumber that are harvested and dried for export for use in Chinese cuisine
as Hoi sam. 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 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 noblis (white teatfish); Holothuria whitmaei (black teatfish); Thelenota ananas (prickly redfish); Actinopyga echninitis (deep-water redfish); and Holothuria 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 include Holothuria noblis (white teatfish), Holothuria whitmaei (black teatfish) and Holothuria 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 meters.
The largest American species is Holothuria floridana, which abounds just below low-water mark on the Florida reefs. There are plans to harvest this species for the sea cucumber market.
The Asian market for sea cucumber is estimated to be US$
60 million. The dried form account for 95% of the sea cucumber traded annually in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, and Japan.
It is typically used in Chinese cuisine
s. The biggest re-exporter in the trade is China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. There are also 650 species of sea cucumbers, of which just 10 species have commercial value.
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 (one of 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).
The health minister of Malaysia (KKM) has considered sea cucumber as halal, as it is cited in the bottle of Luxor's Gamat Jelly.
Individually, the dried form is also used for traditional Chinese medicine
.
Chinese folk belief attributes male sexual health and aphrodisiac
qualities to the sea-cucumber, as it physically resembles a phallus
, and the defence mechanism similar to human copulation as it stiffens and squirts a jet of water at the agitator. It is also considered a restorative for tendonitis
and arthritis
.
The creature and the food product is commonly known as bêche-de-mer (lit. "sea-spade") in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, trepang (or trīpang) in Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, namako in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and in the Philippines it is called balatan. In Malaysian
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
it is known as the gamat
Gamat
The word Gamat, the Malay word for sea cucumber, refers to medicinal remedies derived from several species of the Holothuroidea family. The golden sea cucumber is commonly used...
.
Most cultures in East
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
regard sea cucumbers as a delicacy
Delicacy
A delicacy is a food item that is considered highly desirable in certain cultures. Often this is because of unusual flavors or characteristics or because it is rare....
.
There are a number of dishes made with sea cucumber as this ingredient is expected to have a strong cultural emphasis on health. In most dishes, the sea cucumber has a slippery texture. Common ingredients that go with sea cucumber dishes include winter melon
Winter melon
The winter melon, also called white gourd, ash gourd, or "fuzzy melon", is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that is sweet when eaten...
, dried scallop, kai-lan
Kai-lan
Kai-lan, also known as Chinese broccoli, is a leaf vegetable featuring thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems and a small number of tiny, almost vestigial flower heads similar to those of broccoli. Broccoli and kai-lan belong to the same species Brassica oleracea, but kai-lan is in...
, Shiitake mushroom
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
, and Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage can refer to two distinct varieties of Chinese leaf vegetables used often in Chinese cuisine. These vegetables are both related to the Western cabbage, and are of the same species as the common turnip...
.
Harvest
Sea cucumbers destined for food are traditionally harvested by hand from small watercraft; a process anglicised into "trepangingTrepanging
Trepanging is the Anglicisation of the act of collection or harvesting of sea cucumbers, known in Indonesian, as "trepang".The collector or fisher of trepang is coined a trepanger....
" (after the Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
noun trepang). They are dried for preservation purposes and have to be rehydrated by boiling and soaking in water for several days. They are mainly used as an ingredient in Chinese cuisine soups or stews.
There are many commercially important species of sea cucumber that are harvested and dried for export for use in Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
as Hoi sam. Some of the more commonly found species in markets include:
-
- Holothuria scabraHolothuria scabraHolothuria scabra, or the 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) - Holothuria fuscogilva (Bat susu, white teatfish)
- Actinopyga mauritiana (Spiny sea cucumber)
- Stichius japonicus
- Parastichopus californicus (giant California sea cucumber)
- Thelenota ananas (prickly redfish)
- Acaudina molpadioides
- Holothuria scabra
Western Australia has sea cucumber fisheries from Exmouth to the border of the Northern Territory, almost all of the catch is sandfish (Holothuria scabra
Holothuria scabra
Holothuria scabra, or the 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...
). 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 noblis (white teatfish); Holothuria whitmaei (black teatfish); Thelenota ananas (prickly redfish); Actinopyga echninitis (deep-water redfish); and Holothuria atra
Holothuria atra
Holothuria atra is an aquatic organism in the Holothuriidae family.-References:*C. Conand, Asexual reproduction by fission in Holothuria atra : variability of some parameters in populations from the tropical Indo-Pacific, Oceanologica acta, 1996, vol. 19, no 3-4, pp. 189-475 , pp. 209-216....
(lolly fish).
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 Holothuria scabra
Holothuria scabra
Holothuria scabra, or the 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...
(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 meters.
The largest American species is Holothuria floridana, which abounds just below low-water mark on the Florida reefs. There are plans to harvest this species for the sea cucumber market.
Market
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 neighboursThe Asian market for sea cucumber is estimated to be US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
60 million. The dried form account for 95% of the sea cucumber traded annually in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, and Japan.
It is typically used in Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
s. The biggest re-exporter in the trade is China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. There are also 650 species of sea cucumbers, of which just 10 species have commercial value.
In Japan, sea cucumber is also eaten raw, as sashimi
Sashimi
Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy. It consists of very fresh raw meat, most commonly fish, sliced into thin pieces.-Origin:The word sashimi means "pierced body", i.e...
, or sunomono. And its intestine is also eaten as 'konowata', which is salted and fermented food (one of a variety of shiokara
Shiokara
is a food in Japanese cuisine made from various marine animals that consists of small pieces of meat in a brown viscous paste of the animal's heavily salted, fermented viscera. The raw viscera are mixed with about 10% salt, 30% malted rice, packed in a closed container, and fermented for up to a...
).
The dried ovary of sea cucumber is also eaten, which is called 'konoko'(このこ) or 'kuchiko'(くちこ).
The health minister of Malaysia (KKM) has considered sea cucumber as halal, as it is cited in the bottle of Luxor's Gamat Jelly.
Types
There is a fresh form and there is a dried form. Both the fresh and dried form are used for cooking. The taste is described as "tasteless and bland".Individually, the dried form is also used for traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
.
Chinese folk belief attributes male sexual health and aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac
An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexuality and love. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable...
qualities to the sea-cucumber, as it physically resembles a phallus
Phallus
A phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
, and the defence mechanism similar to human copulation as it stiffens and squirts a jet of water at the agitator. It is also considered a restorative for tendonitis
Tendonitis
Tendinitis , meaning inflammation of a tendon , is a type of tendinopathy often confused with the more common tendinosis, which has similar symptoms but requires different treatment...
and arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
.