Even if you don’t know a word of Japanese, just say “Uni” and many people will understand you — from traders at the famous Tsukiji fish market to an ordinary passer-by in Tokyo. Because in Japan, everyone knows Uni.

In English it is called sea urchin roe. The creature is almost half a billion years old. Even before mammoths and dinosaurs walked the Earth, this mysterious being, which looks like a mechanical children’s toy, already lived on the planet. Underwater, that is. Because Uni is the sea urchin.

Aristotle’s lantern
Its hollow spines double as countless legs on which it unhurriedly moves along the sandy seabed. Its sharp teeth, nicknamed “Aristotle’s lantern” (the famous ancient Greek philosopher once described them in his works), can not only happily gnaw kelp stalks but can even drill a hole in rock. German engineers have created self-sharpening tools based on this natural phenomenon.

The most important part is inside
Gourmets around the world prize the taste of the golden roe, which resembles tangerine segments. Despite its high price, nutritionists recommend it to their patients. Because, as another Greek thinker, Hippocrates, put it: “Let food be thy medicine” — and over millions of years, sea urchin roe has genetically accumulated all the goodness of the World Ocean.

Calcium for strong bones and potassium, without which muscles cannot be strong. Cobalt, which is responsible for cell structure, and copper, which strengthens immunity. Lithium, which affects the brain’s cognitive abilities, and magnesium, which strengthens the heart muscle. Manganese, which influences memory, and iron, which carries oxygen into the blood.

Nature has combined here all the amino acids, minerals and vitamins the human body needs. There is a reference standard for protein — and sea urchin roe exceeds it, reaching 112%. In short, it is a true treasure trove of health.

Sea ginseng
In Japan there is a day when everyone in the country is supposed to eat at least one sea urchin to rejuvenate the body. It is a tradition. No wonder the people of the Land of the Rising Sun are famous for their health and longevity. They call Uni “sea ginseng”.

The SOLING group harvests and processes Uni in the Barents Sea, off the coast of the Kola Peninsula. To protect the natural balance, a sea urchin grow-out complex based on aquaculture has been developed here together with Japanese experts.

Perhaps one day Russia will have its own “Sea Urchin Day”, when everyone can enjoy Uni for their health and longevity.

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