Cantonese salted fish (; also known as "

salted fish Salted fish, such as kippered herring or dried and salted cod, is fish cured with dry salt and thus preserved for later eating. Drying or salting, either with dry salt or with brine, was the only widely available method of preserving fish unt ...

, Chinese style") is a traditional

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

food originating from

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

province. It is a fish preserved or cured with salt, and was a staple food in Guangdong. It historically earned the nickname of the "poor man's food", as its extreme saltiness is useful in adding variety to the simpler

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

-based dinners. Cantonese salted fish was revealed to be on the list of Group 1 known carcinogens, but was suspected and studied for its links to cancer as early as the 1960s due to the high incidence of

nasopharyngeal cancer Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), or nasopharynx cancer, is the most common cancer originating in the nasopharynx, most commonly in the postero-lateral nasopharynx or pharyngeal recess ( fossa of Rosenmüller), accounting for 50% of cases. NPC occurs ...

, an extremely rare type of nose and head cancer now understood to be linked to a high consumption of this dish.

History

In the past, large cities like

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

in southern China had large populations without access to any kind of food preservation. To overcome the rotting of room temperature meat, a number of methods became popular, such as

canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

and salting. The coastal

province, however, includes fish as a major food source. Thus food preservation efforts focused foremost on fish, and the eventual convergence of these techniques gave rise to the dish. The presence of common salt,

sodium chloride Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35.45 g ...

, helps to preserve salted fish, through inhibition of

bacterial growth 250px, Growth is shown as ''L'' = log(numbers) where numbers is the number of colony forming units per ml, versus ''T'' (time.) Bacterial growth is proliferation of bacterium into two daughter cells, in a process called binary fission. Providing ...

. When the solution of salt, or

brine Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for br ...

, is more concentrated—specifically, has a lower

water potential Water potential is the potential energy of water per unit volume relative to pure water in reference conditions. Water potential quantifies the tendency of water to move from one area to another due to osmosis, gravity, mechanical pressure and mat ...

—than the fluid of the fish tissue,

osmosis Osmosis (, ) is the spontaneous net movement or diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively-permeable membrane from a region of high water potential (region of lower solute concentration) to a region of low water potential (region of ...

will occur. Water molecules will pass from the fish tissue (higher water potential) into the brine (lower water potential) until the water molecules in these two solutions are evenly distributed. This is known as a

hypertonic In chemical biology, tonicity is a measure of the effective osmotic pressure gradient; the water potential of two solutions separated by a partially-permeable cell membrane. Tonicity depends on the relative concentration of selective membrane- ...

environment. Most bacteria cannot survive in such an environment, as their cells shrink and normal biological function cannot continue, eventually terminating in

lysis Lysis ( ) is the breaking down of the membrane of a cell, often by viral, enzymic, or osmotic (that is, "lytic" ) mechanisms that compromise its integrity. A fluid containing the contents of lysed cells is called a ''lysate''. In molecular bio ...

. This lends the

antiseptic An antiseptic (from Greek ἀντί ''anti'', "against" and σηπτικός ''sēptikos'', "putrefactive") is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putre ...

properties, and hence preservational power, of salt.

Varieties

A wide range of fish species can be prepared as Cantonese salted fish. The most common ones are ''

Eleutheronema tetradactylum ''Eleutheronema tetradactylum'', the fourfinger threadfin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a threadfin from the family Polynemidae which occurs in the Indian and western Pacific Ocean. Description ''Eleutheronema tetradactylum'' has two ...

'' (mayau (馬友)) and ''

Ilisha elongata The elongate ilisha (the FAO name) (''Ilisha elongata''), also known as the Chinese herring or slender shad (although not a true herring or shad The Alosinae, or the shads,Pseudosciaena crocea'' (黃花魚) and '' Bahaba taipingensis'' (白花魚) can also be used. In addition to the different types of fish, Cantonese salted fish can be divided into two main types: méi-xiāng () and shí-ròu (). For méi-xiāng (fragrant) salted fish, fish with thicker bodies such as ''

Scomberomorus ''Scomberomorus'' is a genus of ray-finned bony fish in the mackerel family, Scombridae. More specifically, it is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, commonly known as the Spanish mackerels. Species ''Scomberomorus'' includes 18 species: * ...

'' (jiaoyu (鮫魚)) and mayau are preferred. It takes 7–8 days for méi-xiāng salted fish to

ferment Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

, after which it is seasoned with salt and dried in the sun. Méi-xiāng style salt fish has an intense salty fragrant flavour which makes it unsuitable to be eaten unaccompanied. Méi-xiāng salt fish, either when raw or after steaming, is usually shredded or cut into small pieces and used as a topping or

seasoning Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, salts, and/or sugar, intended to enhance a particular flavour. General meaning Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". Ho ...

. Shí-ròu (實肉) (firm fleshed) salted fish does not need to be fermented; it is prepared by seasoning followed by direct

sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

and wind drying. Fish with thinner bodies such as Ilisha elongata are usually used to prepare shí-ròu. Unlike méi-xiāng salted fish, shí-ròu can be eaten directly unaccompanied after

frying Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat. Similar to sautéing, pan-fried foods are generally turned over once or twice during cooking to make sure that the food is well-made, using tongs or a spatula, while sautéed foods are cooked ...

steaming Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American southwest, steam pits used for cooking ha ...

Preparation

Tai O Tai O is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The village name means ''large inlet'', referring to outlet for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai O River) merges as it ...

, a vertical marination method (插鹽) is the most popular way to prepare Cantonese salted fish. In this method, fish such as ''Ilisha elongata'' and mayau will first be gutted and then washed. The cleaned fish are inserted head down vertically into a heap of salt. Under

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

, the juice of the fish can flow out from the mouth of the salted fish. Through this method, the salted fish can be kept as dry as possible.

Dishes

;Boiled rice with steamed salt fish :This is salted fish served at its simplest. A piece of salt fish is placed on top of boiled rice as it is cooking, the steam from the rice also cooking the fish. Once the rice has finished cooking the fish is shredded with the tip of a pair of chopsticks, the bones removed and the flesh mixed together with the rice. ;Steamed meat patty with salted fish ( 鹹魚蒸肉餅) :This is a very popular dish among local restaurants and some chain restaurants. It is also an extremely common homemade dish. ;Chicken and salted fish fried rice ( 鹹魚雞粒炒飯) :This is a fried rice dish with chicken and salted fish. Most

cha chaan teng ''Cha chaan teng'' (; "tea restaurant"), often called a Hong Kong-style cafe or diner in English, is a type of restaurant that originated in Hong Kong. Cha chaan teng are commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of Guangdong. Due to the ...

s have this dish and it is popular among local people. ;Salted fish bun (鹹魚大包) :The salted fish bun was a favourite dish of the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

. It is a kind of

baozi Baozi (), Pao-tsih or bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of '' m ...

(Chinese steamed bun) with a filling of sliced pork and salted fish. ;Salted fish head with beancurd soup (鹹魚頭豆腐湯) :The ingredients of this soup include ginger, salted fish, and

beancurd Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super fir ...

Cultural reference

Language

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...

, dead bodies are referred to as salted fish, and a number of other phrases derive from this usage. A slang term for something that is saved or revived when it seems that it is dying or has little chance of surviving is ''haam yu faan saang'' () literally, "a salted fish coming back to life". It is also used to describe a person or an organisation making a comeback after an event that would normally be career-ending. Another phrase is "食得鹹魚，抵得渴", which means "those who eat salted fish must put up with the thirst"; this is used to tell people that they have to bear the consequences of their actions.

Music

A famous song named "Without the Two of Us" by Hong Kong popular singer

George Lam George Lam Tsz-Cheung (born 12 October 1947), also known professionally by his surname Lam, is a Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer, singer-songwriter, music producer and actor, with a career that has so far lasted more than four decades. Lam ...

has a line related to salted fish. The line is "And even salt fish and

pak choi Bok choy (American English, Canadian English, and Australian English), pak choi (British English) or pok choi (''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''chinensis'') is a type of Chinese cabbage, used as food. ''Chinensis'' varieties do not form heads and have g ...

will taste really really good". As salted fish is the symbolic dish of the poor, this line make the allusion that with love even a simple and humble life is enough.

Film

The

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

blockbuster ''

Shaolin Soccer ''Shaolin Soccer'' ( Chinese: ) is a 2001 Hong Kong sports comedy film directed by Stephen Chow, who also stars in the lead role. The film revolves around a former Shaolin monk who reunites his five brothers,"Brothers" here does not mean biolo ...

'' references salted fish in the line "If we don't have any dreams in life, we will look like a salted fish." This line became so popular in

that it has been mistaken for a traditional Chinese saying, even being cited in publications as such.

Health concerns and cancer warning

Extensive research has been done over the past half century drawing strong links between consumption of the fish with nasopharyngeal cancer, an otherwise extremely rare cancer. Health and cancer associations classify the salted fish as a

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

Carcinogenic, including The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety itself. The epidemic of nasopharyngeal cancer is significantly higher in populations which consume large quantities of the salted fish, which, in descending order are: China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Malaysia. Because of the abnormally high prevalence in Southern China, with Guandong province and Hong Kong reporting some of the highest incidences in the world, it has been called "The Cantonese Cancer."chinesesaltedfish�

'Chinese-style Salted Fish'

History of the discovery

In 1967, Ho presented evidence that the Tanka people, Tankas, who consumed the dish daily, had twice the incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer, compared with the Cantonese population in Hong Kong. Since salted fish is traditionally eaten with rice, part of a staple diet for children, and poor populations of Southern China, these are the populations that are at highest risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. It is unclear whether after all the research whether the public, Chinese, or Cantonese cultural sentiment has changed toward this dish, though people have become more aware of the problem over time. It is certain that these populations will likely never entirely stop eating the fish as it is an important cultural dish, and a dish some poor populations have historically relied on for survival.

References

{{Dried fish and seafood Carcinogens Salted foods Food preservation Chinese seafood dishes