Imagine it is raining outside and you have a plate full of Biriyani in front of you. What do you want with that to enjoy the meal? We are thinking about the same thing, right? A solid bite from a cucumber. I mean who doesn’t like a cucumber? If you are a foodie like me, you have it all the time with different foods. In case you are a person who follows a strict healthy diet there is a greater chance that you eat cucumber every day. Perhaps it might be at the top of the list of most-eaten vegetables but the cucumber we are going to talk about today is not a cucumber at all! The cucumber we will know today is an animal, which is conceived as a non-veg food. This special cucumber is known as the ‘Sea Cucumber’. The ‘Cucumber’ in its name as it resembles the cucumber we eat and the ‘Sea’ in its name is justified, as it is a marine creature.
It is a famous delicacy in most countries of East and Southeast Asia. It is conceived in both fresh and dry form. Its taste is described as being completely tasteless and bland. As sea cucumber has leathery skin, in most dishes it contains a slippery texture. It is commonly enjoyed with winter melon, shiitake mushroom and Chinese cabbage. It was described in a food manual of the Quing Dynasty as full of sand, fishy in smell and has no taste. As this description entails the preparation of this is very complex. Cleaning and boiling take up the biggest part. Stewing it in meat broths brings out the flavour of the sea cucumber.
The traditional process for harvesting sea cucumbers destined for food is called ‘Trepanging’, which is named after the Indonesian ‘Trepang’. It is done by hand from small watercraft. At first, they are dried for preservation and then they are rehydrated by boiling and soaking in water for several days. In Chinese cuisine, they are mainly used in soups or stews. The sea cucumber is also used as a spice, which is commercially very important as they are exported. A few years back, it was a very expensive thing. A single sea cucumber costs 150 US dollars. The government took crackdown initiatives back in 2013 to control the thriving black market by reducing both prices and consumption, particularly among government officials who had been known to eat the most expensive and rare species.
They are also harvested in Australia. It can be dated back to the 1880s. There are sea fisheries in Western Australia. They are also harvested from the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Divers dive to depths up to 40 meters to collect this creature. The creature is caught in a large amount in this region, which is threatening to their population. The threat to their population also rises from the fact that they are luxury seafood in East Asian countries.
The sea cucumber industry in Alaska has increased in recent years due to the increasing demand in China for its skins and muscles. In comparison to the Chinese sea cucumbers, the Wild Alaskan sea cucumbers are larger and have high nutritional values.
In Chinese folk culture, this cucumber has several beneficial parts. It is considered a restorative for tendonitis and arthritis. This unique cucumber is popular in one part of the world and it is about to set foot on the other side. So, don’t miss out on the opportunity to try it when you find one.
