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| Taihu Lake Silk Fish [Photo from wuxinews.com.cn] |
Silk fish, a name for whitebait in China, is round, and typically between 25 and 50 millimeters long. Silk fish moved from the sea up to rivers and then into Taihu Lake. Its appearance can date far back to the Spring and Autumn Period over 2,000 years ago. It was seen as one of the most precious fish, together with bass in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and was served as tributes to the royal family in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
In the 1980s, silk fish in Taihu Lake were transported to be raised in West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province and the Dian Lake in Yunnan province.
For its tender flesh and rich nutrition, it is edible and delicate so that it has become one of the most popular cuisines to the tourists from China and abroad. Taihu Lake-branded frozen silk fish is prominent in the global market. In Japan, the silk fish, well-known as Shirasu, is one of the most delicate dishes in local restaurants.
