Trepang

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 bêche-de-mer in French, from Portuguese bicho do mar (lit. 'sea animal'), espardenya in Catalan, trepang (or trīpang) in Indonesian, namako in Japanese, balatan in Tagalog, loli in Hawaiian, deniz patlıcanı ('sea aubergine') in Turkish and minch' i mari in Sicilian. In Malay, it is known as the gamat. 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.