- Sea pineapple
Taxobox
name = Sea pineapple
image_width = 250px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
subphylum =Urochordata
classis =Ascidiacea
ordo =Pleurogona
subordo =Stolidobranchia
familia =Pyuridae
genus = "Halocynthia "
species = "H. roretzi"
binomial = "Halocynthia roretzi"
binomial_authority = (Von Drasche, 1884)The sea pineapple ("Halocynthia roretzi") is an edible ascidian (sea squirt) consumed primarily in
Japan , where it is known as nihongo|"hoya"|ホヤ or nihongo|"maboya"|マボヤ, andKorea , where it is known as "meongge" (멍게).Sea pineapples are known for both their peculiar appearance, described by journalist
Nick Tosches as "something that could exist only in a purely hallucinatory eco-system"cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/06/sushi200706?currentPage=2|title="If You Knew Sushi", Nick Tosches, "Vanity Fair ", June 2007] and their peculiar taste, described as "something like iodine" and "rubber dipped in ammonia." [cite book |last=Rowthorn |first=Chris |authorlink= |coauthors=Andrew Bender, John Ashburne, and Sara Benson |title=Lonely Planet Japan |year=2003 |publisher=Lonely Planet |location= |isbn=1740591623 ] However, aficionados claim that the taste is well suited to serving withsake .cite journal |last=Nguyen |first=T.T.T. |title=Aquaculture of sea-pineapple, "Halocynthia roretzi" in Japan|journal=Aquaculture Asia|volume=XII No. 2|year=2007 |month=April |pages=21–23 |url=http://www.aquahoy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1021&Itemid=116&lang=en] The flavor has been attributed to an unsaturated alcohol calledcynthiaol , which is present in minute quantities.In Japan, sea pineapple is most commonly eaten raw as
sashimi , simply by slicing the animal vertically, removing the internal organs and serving them with vinegaredsoy sauce . It is also sometimes salted, smoked, grilled, deep-fried, or dried. In Korea, sea pineapple is also made intokimchi .Sea pineapples live in shallow water, usually attached to rocks and artificial structures, an example of marine
biofouling . "Halocynthia roretzi" is adapted to cold water: it can survive in water temperatures between 2° and 24°C (36° to 75° F), but optimum temperature is around 12°C (54°F).cite web|url=http://www.lib.noaa.gov/korea/main_species/sea_squirt.htm|title=NOAA : Korea-US Agriculture: Sea squirt|accessdate=2007-06-15]Aquaculture of sea pineapples first succeeded in 1982, when 39 metric tons were produced in Korea. Production reached a peak of 42,800 tons in 1994. The FAO estimates that total world sea pineapple production in 2006 was 21,500 tons, worth around US$18 million. Of this, 16,000 tons were cultivated in Japan, including 12,163 tons inMiyagi prefecture alone.References
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