Samoan Delicacy, Worm Debauchery
by Ryan Wells
Once a year, sometimes twice, the diminutive Pacific worm known as palolo gets to have sex. After waiting patiently all year for a mysteriously preset date in October or November, males and females alike orgasmically release their sexual organs into the ocean. These tiny pink and blue-green spaghetti-like strands wriggle gaily through the night in a biological orgy, to then dissolve in the morning sunlight releasing the sperm and eggs held inside - Pacific procreation.
Probably to the displeasure of these creatures, Samoans have developed quite a taste for this rare island treat. Known by many names "balolo" to Fijians, eunice viridis, an annelid worm, to scientists - the "worms" are harvested by eager connoisseurs in the dark predawn during a palolo rise.
I am fortunate enough, or unfortunate, depending on your palate, to visit Samoa during this time, and I am not only obliged to sample this delicacy, but to get myself out of bed in the middle of the night for the tapalolo (palolo fishing) as well. Armed with a cloth net and a flashlight to attract the palolo - they have a lone, light-sensitive "eye" - I help scoop mounds of these creatures into the boats, if, that is, they aren't eaten raw by the handful at the moment of capture.
To take part in this tradition based on coitus wormus, I have traveled to the tropical destination of Samoa. Formerly known as Western Samoa, it is home to many attractions that make a visit worthwhile - unspoiled white sand, on-the-beach accommodation, a rising surfing reputation, and perhaps the most well-preserved of the Polynesian cultures. Samoa also has its share of other unique practices as well - fire-knife dancing, body tattooing for men and women, kava drinking ceremonies, and the ever popular faíafafine - a thriving subculture of transsexuals. But palolo, that's something else. It only happens once a year.
These little "worms" are actually only the detached back portion of the actual 12-inch long worm. This epitoke is the portion containing the reproductive gametes. These creatures burrow in the coral reef, rarely to emerge, and then release their vital parts all in synchronized perfection. Predicting this marine group-sex event is as much an art as a science. Some watch the flowering of the mosoíoi tree or the behavior of coconut crabs as a sign, and others rely on the smell from the reef or weather patterns or moon phases. Regardless of any individual's claim to the perfect sign of palolo foreplay, everyone starts watching in October, when the first rising always occurs. If this is weak showing, then a second rising can be expected in November. Of course, just to keep everyone guessing, this differs between the islands as well.
The morning after the palolo harvest, even for those who didn't take part in the late-night sex-party crashing, there is plenty of the overpriced delicacy at the market. Even restaurants like the Gourmet Seafood, inappropriately named but charming, have an added handwritten special on their board today - Fried Palolo on Toast. Sauteed with a little butter and onion, the palolo takes on a translucent green quality making it even harder to swallow for some, even more delicious for others.
As much as a worm's sex organs may not sound appealing to some weak-stomached individuals, most people in the Samoan islands can't wait until those crazy worms do their business each year. It is not just an item to be bought, sold, and eaten, but also to be prayed for and revered. By getting to the islands during a rising, I am delighted by a nighttime spectacle and a mealtime treat unlike any other. And when it is all said and done, as the locals and I enjoy the salty, tart "caviar of the Pacific" the poor palolo, probably exhausted and craving a cigarette, must wait twelve more months to have their fun again.
Find out more than you ever wanted to about the life of the Palolo at Smithsonian.