If you are in Dalian, for the layman of sea cucumber, the title of this city is somewhat sorry. Because "sea cucumber" is the symbol of this city and a famous regional specialty.
However, we can't avoid the reality that there are still too many people in this city who don't know about sea cucumber and have some misunderstandings about their eating sea cucumber.
Wang Jun is an expert in this field. In Zhangzidao sea cucumber sales flagship store, Wang Jun is a mysterious figure to consumers. His knowledge of sea cucumbers is almost superb. Without hands-on, he can tell the age of sea cucumber, the sea area where it grows, the water content, and even send out several kilograms of water to send ginseng. He knows all about it.
Because he has been dealing with "selling sea cucumbers" for many years, he has developed a pair of "critical eyes". In order to teach consumers to identify sea cucumbers, he also summed up a set of "Chinese medicine" methods-seeing, listening and asking.
Hope: the one with thick and straight thorns is a good candidate.
"A good sea cucumber can be seen by drilling a hole, mainly depending on the thorn. Many people say that it is unreasonable to know whether it is a good sea cucumber by looking at several rows of thorns. In Dalian, there are almost four rows of sea cucumbers. How to identify the same number of thorns? " Wang Jun said, "It depends on the quality of the thorn. The wild sea cucumber thorns are thick and straight, and it feels very powerful. " In fact, the most important thing to buy sea cucumber is its "age". "The life span of sea cucumber is about 10 years. The most nutritious thing is that it has grown for three to five years, which is in its prime. Sea cucumber will not mature until it reaches a certain age, and it is rich in nutritional value. The number of thorns does not determine the nutritional value of sea cucumbers. "
"Some people think that choosing sea cucumber depends on color. There is some truth in this statement. The color of sea cucumbers growing on the seabed is mostly dark brown. " Wang Jun said, "But there are differences. Because of the difference in food intake, even in the range of seabed 10 meter, the color of sea cucumber is different, and the color cannot determine whether it is good or bad. "
"Some people think that the size of sea cucumbers is very important. Many people buy sea cucumbers to buy big ones. This is completely wrong. If you buy live sea cucumbers, the size is of course very important. The big round sea cucumber is a good ginseng. If you choose salted sea cucumber, the big one is not necessarily good. " Wang Jun said, "Because pickled sea cucumbers need cooking and processing, if the temperature is not enough, of course, the shape of sea cucumbers will be large, but once cooked, uncooked sea cucumbers can't be sent out at all, and only about two kilograms can be sent out per catty, while good sea cucumbers need to send three or four kilograms per catty. Therefore, buying sea cucumbers should not look at the head, but at the quantity. "
Wang Jun summed up the standards of high-quality sea cucumbers in his eyes with his years of experience in dealing with sea cucumbers: large ginseng body, neat and uniform head, complete body, plump meat and intact bones; The opening is correct, and there is no intestine and sediment in the bore; It has a fresh luster.
Smell: It is good ginseng that tastes delicious.
The taste of seafood mainly depends on the sea water. The same seafood grows in different sea areas and tastes very different. Therefore, vendors shouting "Zhuanghe Shrimp Crawl" and "Donggou Crab" can often be seen in the market.
The same is true of sea cucumbers, which taste different in different sea areas.
"Smelling delicious sea cucumbers tastes good, and it is correct to choose such sea cucumbers." Wang Jun said, "Nowadays, food safety is getting more and more attention. If you smell the taste of sea cucumber as medicine, it is best not to buy it. " Wang Jun said that from a personal point of view, he is afraid to buy those sea cucumbers that have been soaked in water, "because I don't know if there are other ingredients in the water."
From the smell of sea cucumber, Wang Jun can also smell the distance between the sea water and the mainland. "The sea near the mainland is easily polluted due to poor seawater circulation, and the taste of sea cucumber is not as fresh as that of the deep sea."
Q: Ask the place of origin, ask the year.
Ask, and there will be a lot to say. Consumers know whether they know sea cucumber or not as soon as they open their mouths. As the saying goes, "an expert looks at the doorway, a layman looks at the excitement." Nowadays, because most consumers "can't see the true face of sea cucumber", price seems to be the main factor affecting whether you buy it or not.
"Now most consumers ask the price, which is a layman at first glance." Wang Jun said, "You get what you pay for. Today's sea cucumber market has everything, ranging from a few hundred yuan to tens of thousands of yuan. There are many articles in it. "
He said that the first thing to ask is the origin of sea cucumbers. Zhangzidao fishery requires that sea cucumbers should be marked with detailed origin. The sea cucumber produced in Zhangzidao sea area is called "the best sea cucumber", the sea cucumber produced in Changhai county is called "the best sea cucumber", and the sea cucumber produced in Dalian sea area but not in Changhai county is called "the standard sea cucumber". Most merchants only indicate "Dalian of origin" in general. "There is a lot of knowledge. Consumers need to ask about the place of origin before buying sea cucumbers. " Wang Jun said.
The age of sea cucumber is also to be asked. Generally speaking, wild sea cucumbers take three years to grow, while captive sea cucumbers usually grow in two years. "The age of sea cucumber determines the dignity of sea cucumber. Therefore, be sure to ask the age of the sea cucumber. "
A dancing sea cucumber is a good sea cucumber.
"When the expert shoots, he knows whether there is." It is the most direct and accurate method to choose sea cucumber by hand. For a long time, Dalian people have summarized many methods of selecting sea cucumbers by hand.
"If you touch it by hand, you must first judge whether the sea cucumber is wet. Some sea cucumbers have seriously exceeded the water content, which can be felt by touching them. " Wang Jun went on to say, "The most touching knowledge lies in feeling. Good wild sea cucumbers feel particularly good and elastic, while low-quality sea cucumbers feel soft and inelastic. " The elasticity of salted sea cucumber depends on the cortex of sea cucumber, while wild sea cucumber is elastic because of its thick skin.
It is said that as early as twenty or thirty years ago, when Zhangzidao people collected sea cucumbers from the seabed and handed them over to the country like farmers on land, the way to test the quality of sea cucumbers was to throw them on the concrete floor to see if they could bounce. "Dancing sea cucumbers are good sea cucumbers, which is the knowledge of the people on the island."
Dry sea cucumber can't dance, Wang Jun said. The way to choose dry sea cucumber is to look at its hardness. "In the 1950s, under the planned economy system, sea cucumbers were purchased by the state. Because there is no professional testing instrument, the standard to judge the quality of sea cucumber at that time can only rely on the traditional rule left by our ancestors: nail the freeze-dried sea cucumber into the ground like a nail in three to five days. If it can be nailed, it will be qualified. " This method is tried and tested by old Dalian people.
"These are years of experience. In a short time, consumers may not be able to master them. In fact, the easiest way to choose sea cucumbers is to choose brands. Consumers can choose the sea cucumber brand they trust, which reduces the risk. " Wang Jun told reporters that the processing technology of the sea cucumber market is constantly being renovated, and there are many varieties. Even an old sea cucumber man like him should constantly learn and understand the selection methods under various technologies. Fortunately, sea cucumber consumption has entered the brand era, providing consumers with a conceptual choice factor.