Although they are called sea cucumbers, they are not vegetables. They are actually marine animals which have tough, thick leathery skin. To most people, they are ugly. One American writer describes them as “big slug-like blobs that move around on side-by-side pedal-like feet.”
But to some people, sea cucumbers are delectable. Across Asia, they have long been a staple in peoples’ diets, mainly in soups, stews and stir-fries.
They are highly nutritious – described as “an ideal tonic food” — as they provide more protein and less fat than most foods. “Like tofu, it is flavorless but absorbs the flavors of its surrounding seasonings and foods,” wrote an epicurean.
Although not popular among Filipino consumers, dried sea cucumbers are used as an ingredient in preparing mixed seafood and ho-to-tay dishes served in regular Chinese restaurants.
In a complicated process of boiling and smoke-drying, the skin of sea cucumbers – also known by the more dulcet French sobriquet bêche-de-mer – is dried for preservation purposes and later rehydrated for use in cooking.
In Malaysia, they’re called trepang, in Japan, namako, and in the Philippines, balatan or putian. The Chinese poach the sea cukes, smother them in a thick sauce of garlic, ginger, onion and soy sauce and call them hai sum.
In some parts of Europe, whole bêche-de-mer can be stuffed with a filling of pork, cornstarch and chopped fried fish. Cooked fresh and quickly on a hot griddle, espardenyes are served with olive, sea salt and a squeeze of lemon in Spain.
Like their terrestrial cousins, sea cucumbers can — unsurprisingly, perhaps — also be pickled.
In China, sea cucumber (called as hai shen, which translates roughly into “sea ginseng”) is not only revered as food but also a source of medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, sea cucumbers are used in treating weakness, impotence, constipation due to intestinal dryness, frequent urination, and joint problems.
In recent years, science has proven that sea cucumbers contain medicinal properties. Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda, director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon, reports:
“Sea cucumber is a rich source of mucopolysaccharides, mainly chondroitin sulfate, which is well-known for its ability to reduce arthritis pain. Chondroitin’s action is similar to that of glucosamine sulfate, the main building block of chondroitin.”
Studies done in Russia, Japan and China also found sea cucumbers to contain saponins (triterpene glycosides). These compounds have a structure similar to the active constituents of ginseng and other famous tonic herbs. Pharmacology studies indicate anti-inflammatory properties of the saponins found in sea cucumbers.
Promising new research indicates that the saponin content and fatty acids in sea cucumber may possibly be useful as an agent to treat malignant growths and diseases. Moreover, those same constituents may also be responsible for antiviral activities that have shown promise in inhibiting herpes viruses.
The effectiveness of sea cucumber extract in tissue repair has been the subject of serious study abroad. It is believed that the sea cucumber contains all the fatty acids necessary to play an active role in tissue repair.
Sometimes, internal organs such as gonads and intestines are fermented or dried to produce high priced specialty products used as dietary supplements.
Some people believe sea cucumbers possess some aphrodisiac powers. The reason for this belief is the peculiar reaction of the creature on being kneaded or disturbed slightly with fingers.
It swells and stiffens and a jet of water is released from one end. This behavior is similar to the erection and subsequent ejaculation of the male sexual organ.
By the way, people in Palau use the sea cucumber to protect their feet when walking in the reef. They squeeze the sea cucumber until it squirts out sticky threads, which they put on their feet. Even though this practice may sound harsh, the sea cucumber returns to the reef unharmed.
Eating sea cucumber is not without its hazards. Last April of this year in Cebu, two people died while four others were in critical condition after eating a fried sea cucumber delicacy, according to a news report.
The source of the information said that hours after eating, the victims started feeling abdominal pains and breathing difficulties. By the time they were rushed to the hospital, they were already dehydrated.
Interviewed by ABS-CBN, Assistant Regional Director of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Allan Poquit explained that sea cucumber, a herbivore, is not known for being poisonous but it secretes blue ink from its skin which is potentially lethal to any predators.
“Something must have gone wrong when [the victims] prepared the food,” he was quoted as saying.
He urged that when eating sea cucumber, the consumer should clean the skin thoroughly and boil it before frying to ensure its safety for consumption.
“Sea cucumbers make a substantial contribution to the economies of coastal communities,” said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). For almost a century, the harvesting and processing of sea cucumbers has been a source of income for many Filipino families.
Today, it is a multi-million dollar industry. In the United States, price rate of dried sea cucumber is pegged at US$180 to US$250 per kilogram.
“There is a big export market for sea cucumbers particularly for Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan,” says Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, executive director of the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).
Asia and the Pacific are the top sea cucumber producing regions, generating some 20,000 to 40,000 tons per year, according to FAO. Indonesia tops them all, with the Philippines trailing behind.
The demand for this homely undersea animal is high. And it is for this reason why sea cucumber populations across the globe are “increasingly in trouble.”
The Philippines is a case in point. “Yes, we used to have a lot of sea cucumbers in our coastal areas,” admits Dr. Guerrero. “They have been depleted because of over-harvesting.”
This is supported by a new FAO report. Sea cucumber stocks are under intense fishing pressure throughout the world, it says. Most high value commercial species have been depleted. In Asia and the Pacific region, the most sought-after species are largely depleted.
“The fast pace of development of sea cucumber fisheries to supply growing international demand is placing most fisheries and many sea cucumber species at risk,” said a new FAO study, Sea Cucumbers: A Global Review of Fisheries and Trade.
Sea cucumber management plans specific to local circumstances need to be developed, the study urged.
These could include such measures as establishing catch quotas and minimum size limits, closures during breeding seasons, and better monitoring of the status of stocks.
Other additional threats for sea cucumber populations worldwide, according to FAO are global warming, habitat destruction, and illegal fishing.
