Unlike other echinoderms, Sea Cucumbers are cucumber shaped with an elongated, muscular, flexible body with a mouth at one end and the anus at the other. Around the mouth there is a number of tentacles (modified tube feet) used in food collecting. Sea cucumbers come in many sizes, from small species only a few centimeter in length to long snakelike animals which may stretch up to 2 meters.

To prepare the sea cucumber after it is collected, the internal organs are removed, and dirt and sand are washed out of the cavity. It is then boiled in salty water and dried in the air to preserve it. When readied for use in making food, it is softened in warm water and then boiled.

From the nutritional viewpoint, sea cucumber is an ideal tonic food. It is higher in protein (at 55%) than most any other food except egg whites (at 99%), and it is lower in fat than most foods (less than 2%).