The Hoya Hoya Association, with its secretariat in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and an office in Tokyo, was started in 2014 and became a formally incorporated association in November 2019 with the express purpose of raising awareness of the sea squirt, or sea pineapple (hoya in Japanese) in order to expand sales channels.
Prior to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster, hoya (Halocynthia roretzi) was a local delicacy along the Sanriku Coast – along the northeast part of Honshu Island – and Miyagi Prefecture produced 80 percent of the harvest. However, 70 percent of that was exported to South Korea, where it was often served as sashimi.
The infrastructure and production equipment for the species was destroyed by the tsunami. As it takes about three years to grow, harvests resumed in 2014, but a ban by South Korea on imports from the region due to concerns about radioactivity has left a lot of unsold hoya. In 2016, about 8,000 metric tons of sea squirts, roughly 60 percent of total production volume, was disposed of.
As a result, producers are trying to introduce it to other areas of Japan that may be unfamiliar with it through the association. New recipes are being introduced and various processed forms are being marketed.
At the 17th Seafood Show Osaka 2020, held 19 and 20 February, the association had an attention-grabbing booth, with funny hats, plastic hoya-like action figures, products, and a questionnaire of hoya trivia.
“About half of Japanese know about hoya," Hoya Hoya Association President Keiko Tayama told SeafoodSource.
To spread the word, the association hosted a Hoya Fair during the month of February, with over 140 participating shops around Japan, featuring hoya in various recipes.
Hoya processors with their own booths at Seafood Show Osaka 2020 displayed such products as hoya in rayu (chili oil), peeled hoya in a vacuum-pack, hoya-flavored salad dressing, dried powdered hoya (used as a spice), hoya with a soft-boiled egg inside, and breaded and deep-fried hoya.
The texture and color of hoya is similar to papaya, but with a salty rather than sweet flavor, and an aftertaste of astringency. It may be suitable as part of an appetizer set (otoshi or tsukidashi) served at Japanese izakaya restaurants.
Other sea squirt processing companies at the show included Honda Suisan, Co., Ltd.; Sugetsudo Co., Ltd; Yamanaka Corp. (all based in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi prefecture); and Nihon Marine Ranch Co., Ltd., based in Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture.
Photo by Chris Loew/SeafoodSource
