Swakiiiii!

Before I knew what swakî (collector urchin) looked or tasted like, I was already acquainted with its supposedly salutary effect on the male libido. “Pampa-utoooog!” we would bellow in reply to some ambulant vendor’s announcement. As a young boy, it never occurred to me that I would have any need of it.

The only edible part of swakî (Tripneustes gratilla) is often referred to as its roe — uni, the Japanese call it — but that is technically incorrect. What it is are its gonads, which produce sperm cells in males and egg cells in females. How to tell a female sea urchin from a male? According to Wikipedia, by its location relative to the sea bottom: males are apt to choose elevated and exposed positions, while females lie low among crevices on the floor. The bottom line is, as long as a sea urchin is fresh, it should be okay. The taste? Creamy and delicately briny, with just a hint of sweetness.

Swakî is best enjoyed straight out of the shell, with a splash of vinegar and/or kalamansi. The ones I had on a recent trip to Bohol were so fresh that their spines were still moving. The gonads are those yellow bands lining the inner wall of the shell. Which makes me wonder what the pale white goo in bottled swakî is. Oh, I know it’s safe to eat because I have an uncle who is just fine after years of consuming bottled swakî — some sort of extender, perhaps? If so, what, exactly?

As for swakî’s touted effect on the libido, I can not say I felt anything out of the ordinary. Maybe I needed to eat a lot more of it. Or actually had to eat the mystery goo as well to achieve the effect. Maybe I should ask my uncle — it’s also possible he’s really just into swakî for the taste.