Strange 'rich people's MSG', once no one bothered to buy it

Every time the tide goes down, people in Quan Lan island commune, Van Don district, Quang Ninh, eagerly go digging for sea worms, also known as "rich people's MSG" . That is digging for sea worms.

According to a fisherman here, in the past, no one wanted to eat sea worms , only the locals occasionally dug them up to eat. However, in recent years, gourmets have been spreading the word about a type of "natural MSG", since then, sea worms have become more widely known, and the number of buyers has increased. Many customers even had to fight each other to buy them.

The sea worm is known by gourmets as "natural MSG". (Photo: Traveloka)

What is so special about sea worms that many people hunt for them?

Why is sea worm called "rich man's MSG"?

Sandworms, also known as sa trung, are a species of seafood in the Sipuncula family. The English name of sandworms is peanut worms and the scientific name is Sipunculus nudus . Depending on the region, the folk names of this animal are different in each place such as sandworms, ground ginseng, earthworms, don dot, chop khoai, sea worms, bi bi, con con dat, .

"Rich people's MSG" has a shape similar to a giant colorful worm. (Photo: Traveloka)

The sandworm is a mollusk that lives only on coastal sandy beaches where the tides rise and fall, creating sandbanks. The "rich man's MSG" has a shape similar to a giant, colorful worm , in caves and sand crevices at the bottom of the sea, 10 to 30 meters deep. When fresh, the sandworm is about 5 to 10 centimeters long.

When caught from the sea, they curl up, round like a ball, their mouths as small as an air pump valve. Their skin changes color depending on the environment they live in, and feels soft and cool to the touch. The intestines of the sea worms are like those of earthworms, just a tube from end to end, without a heart, liver, or lungs.

Sandworms contain many vitamins, amino acids, minerals. creating a characteristic sweet and aromatic flavor. (Photo: Traveloka)

According to research results from the University of Natural Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City, sea worms are a nutritious food with a fairly high protein content, containing many valuable amino acids and many minerals , specifically up to 17 mineral elements and 18 types of amino acids, of which 8 types cannot be replaced and must be absorbed from food.

The nutritional composition of 100 grams of dried sea worms contains 10.3% free amino acids, of which sweet amino acids such as glycine 3.2%, alanine 2.5%, succinic 0.35%, glutamine 0.25%, . are the substances that create the sweet aroma of this "rich people's MSG". Sea worms are also rich in taurine 3.2%, minerals 1.2%, so since ancient times, this type of seafood has been known as ginseng.

Outstanding features of "rich people's MSG"

In Oriental medicine , sea worms have a salty taste, cool properties, help clear heat, clear the lungs and spleen. Sea worms are especially famous since ancient times with many wonderful uses for human health. For children with malnutrition, using "rich people's MSG" helps increase resistance, support weight gain, treat rickets, stimulate appetite, absorb food faster and better.

Sandworm is a nutritious food that is very good for human health. (Photo: Traveloka)

For adults , sea worms are suitable for enhancing physiology for both men and women, treating cold heart diseases, enhancing male virility, treating diseases related to gynecological problems in women such as yin deficiency, vaginal dryness, lung deficiency, cough and phlegm, urinary tract infection, toothache, etc. Sea worms also treat heatstroke, treating afternoon fever that often causes temperature imbalance in the body.

In modern medicine , sea worms help increase milk production , reduce depression, reduce night sweats, and chest pain because they have the effect of enriching blood and nourishing blood, which is very good for postpartum mothers. In addition, sea worms also treat toothache, swollen and painful gums, bleeding gums, and treat bone and joint pain.

Sandworms are effective in treating many diseases. (Photo: Traveloka).

For people with poor health, sea worms can help treat diseases such as cough with phlegm, dry cough, cold cough, prolonged asthma, tuberculosis or chest discomfort. Sea worms are also suitable for people with frequent urination at night, urinary incontinence, and nervous breakdown.

In addition, sea worms also support the treatment of high blood pressure, improve neurological disorders, improve frequent urination, prevent hypoxia and thrombosis, have extremely effective anti-inflammatory properties, support the improvement of immune system health and prevent cancer.

"Rich people's MSG" is extremely expensive but everyone loves it

Sandworms are distributed in several places in Vietnam such as Van Don, Mong Cai (Quang Ninh), Hai Phong, Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa), Vung Tau, Can Gio (Ho Chi Minh City), Phu Quoc and Dongxing of China.

Sandworms in Quan Lan, Quang Ninh are highly regarded for their premium quality. (Photo: Traveloka).

However, when mentioning sea worms, people immediately think of Quan Lan in Van Don island district, Quang Ninh province - a place famous for its high quality dried sea worms.

Gourmets share that the sea worms caught in Quan Lan are considered the highest quality sea worms, with identifying characteristics such as natural bright color, thick body, short body and when cooked, they give a sweet and well-rounded water. In other places, sea worms have longer bodies, dark yellow color, slightly fishy smell, lower quality and low value, only half of the sea worms here. Therefore, the price of "rich people's MSG" in Quan Lan is currently nearly one and a half times higher, double that of sea worms in other places.

Nowadays, sea worms have suddenly become the "rich man's MSG" and are hunted more, making them rarer and harder to buy. (Photo: Traveloka)

With the above outstanding characteristics, sea worms are a seafood with very high economic value, 1kg of dried sea worms is often worth as much as a tael of gold. In the current market, for fresh, unprocessed sea worms that fishermen have just caught from the sea, the price ranges from about 500,000 VND - 550,000 VND/kg. Dried sea worms of moderate size, the basic type, usually range from 1,800,000 VND - 2,400,000 VND/kg. Dried sea worms are selected from large, healthy, beautiful and fresh ones with this high-end type, the selling price ranges from 4,000,000 VND - 6,000,000 VND/kg.

Moreover, in the past, digging for sea worms was easy, people only needed to spend a few hours to find a basket. However, now, sea worms have suddenly become "rich people's MSG" and are hunted more, making them rarer and harder to buy.