our friend, the sea urchin
Since it'd become the subject of debate, and seeing as I'm unable to go to sleep early like I'd planned, I dug up some interesting facts about the sea urchin as they relate to my recent sushi experience.Wikipedia rocks.
Lets cut through all that fancy scientifical mumbo jumbo. Are they poisonous?
The spines, which in some species are long and sharp, serve to protect the urchin from predators. Sea urchins feed mainly on algae. The spines can inflict a painful wound on a human who steps on one, but they are not seriously dangerous and it is not clear that the spines are truly venomous (unlike the pedicellariae between the spines, which are).
Hmm...interesting, but just what part of the urchin does the uni come from?
Humans consume the reproductive organs ("roe") either raw or briefly cooked. Sea urchin roe is a popular food in Korean cuisine, and it is called "uni" in Japanese sushi cuisine.
Great! Thanks for clearing that up.
1 comment:
Dued, I told you it's blowfish (a.k.a. puffer fish) that's poisonous! Here's my proof (copied directly from Wikipedia):
"The eyes and internal organs of most pufferfish are highly toxic, but nevertheless its meat is considered a delicacy in Japan. The name fugu is used both for the fish that are eaten and for their meat. (For more details see Fugu)"
The bold is mine.
It ain't easy being a wonder killer, yo.
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