Eating animals' reproductive glands or reproductive organs, on any foodie's must-try list, may not be too high in the top position, after all, there is still psychological resistance.
In this quirky and wonderful world of gastronomy, there are a few exceptions.
Japan has a famous dish, called fish white, in fact, fish contain sperm genitals, in our country, this type of food is more common, horses, cows, donkeys and other animal genitals in many places are a famous dish.
Famous dish fish white
As a foodie, I have to mention that sea urchin sashimi is often used in Japanese cuisine, and the edible part has a golden color, which makes people's appetite increase, butter-like taste that melts in the mouth, and the taste experience of salty and sweet coexisting, which is deeply loved by people.
However, these golden, "tongue-like" parts are actually the reproductive glands of the sea urchin.
If you want to eat the best sea urchin, you must be mentally prepared, because sea urchin is not cheap, in some cross-border shopping websites, 100g of sea urchin bento is priced at about 400 yuan.
Why are sea urchins expensive?
Sea urchins are echinoderms, and starfish sea cucumbers are close relatives, is an ancient creature, according to research, has lived on the earth for hundreds of millions of years, sea urchins have a long lifespan, there are studies that believe that sea urchins can live for more than 200 years, and there are almost no signs of aging.
The whole body is covered with spines, generally 1-3 cm long and 1-2 mm thick, thanks to these long and pointed spines, they have few natural enemies on the seabed, and only animals such as sea otters, lobsters, crabs, swordfish and other animals have the special ability to tear through the sea urchin protection layer to enjoy this delicacy.
There are more than 900 species in total, with different shapes and sizes, even different colors, but only 18 kinds of edible ones, a typical sea urchin with only five petals of reproductive glands, the yield is not high.
In addition, they live on the shallow seabed, although they are found in many places, they must be collected by hand, and sometimes, divers must dive more than twenty meters underwater and collect them with their bare hands.
Many foodies believe that the best time to get quality sea urchins is in winter, when sea levels are low and it is easier for divers to find these mouth-watering sea creatures, and their price is to endure the cold and bone-chilling waters.
In order to meet the needs of most people, there are now many sea urchins farming, there are also a lot of affordable sea urchins on the market, such as horse dung sea urchins that look like horse manure, the price of 100 of them ranges from tens to hundreds, nevertheless, as a good sea urchin, because of the difficulty of collection, the yield is not high, and the price has been high.
Contrary to the general stereotype, sea urchins not only have a "mouth" but also can walk.
The sea urchin looks like a ball, there is no A side and B side, but it is divided into upper and lower sides, it can be said that the sea urchin is walking on the butt.
Most sea urchins, on the side near the ground, have five calcium carbonate teeth and a tongue-like chewer, also known as an "Aristotle lantern," which feeds through a chewer and, when it is enjoyed, sticks out the lantern to eat.
Sea urchins have a mixed diet, sometimes feeding on corals and algae on rocks, but also on decomposed substances found in fish and mussels.
Like starfish, movement depends on the tube foot, the sea urchin tube foot is numerous, transparent and small, using the power of the tube foot, lifting the body and walking.
"Reproductive infectious diseases" of sea urchins
Most sea urchins are hermaphrodite, belong to in vitro fertilization, every year during the breeding season, sea urchins will gather together, when mature female sea urchins release their eggs into the sea, this "information" will stimulate all mature sea urchins, while ovulation or sperm, within 12 hours, there will be fertilized embryos, this strange phenomenon of collective mating is called "reproductive infectious diseases".
The embryo quickly becomes a larva, the larvae do not have spines at first, they are long-wristed larvae floating in the water, and after several months of development, the larva becomes a sea urchin and sinks to the bottom.
Sea urchin shell without spines
Sea urchins without thorns are works of art, and sea urchins with thorns are "walking stingers".
You may have seen a live sea urchin, but you may not know what it looks like after it has been plucked.
After the sea urchin is pierced off, there is only an empty shell, with a radial symmetrical pattern and various colors, so it is a work of art collected by many people.
However, while it was alive, it was not so beautiful.
There was a news report that a young tourist, Miji Ruiz, had died while on vacation by trampling a small creature to death, initially believing that she had stepped on a poisonous stone fish, but after investigation, she actually stepped on a sea urchin.
Indeed, many sea urchins are poisonous on stingers, and in the Guinness Book of World Records, the sea urchin is classified as the most dangerous sea urchin, and it has a deadly toxin that can cause spasms, red blood cell aggregation, anaphylactic shock, and even death.
Flower sea urchin
The flower sea urchin is not the only species that secretes venom, and the venom of other poisonous sea urchins brings painful stings.
Typical punctures can cause redness and swelling, which can lead to further infection if left untreated, while multiple punctures can lead to muscle pain, paralysis, shock, respiratory failure, and death.
Even if fortunately there are no symptoms of allergies, the thorns of the sea urchin are not easy to remove, and sometimes people can only retreat to the second place, slap the wound hard, break the thorn, let the wound heal naturally, and absorb the thorn.