Historical allusions of stinky mandarin fish

Stinky mandarin fish is a traditional dish in Huizhou, Anhui Province, also known as "pickled fresh mandarin fish". Its production process is to marinate mandarin fish with light salt water, and let it naturally ferment at suitable temperature and humidity to produce a unique smell. This method originated from the exploration and wisdom of ancient Huizhou people on food preservation. Due to the inconvenient transportation, it is difficult to keep fresh fish for a long time. In order to solve this problem, Huizhou people invented the method of salting with light salt water. Although pickled fish has a bad smell, it becomes delicious and unique after cooking.

The allusion of this dish is related to its name. According to legend, in ancient times, there was a Huizhou merchant who was transporting mandarin fish. When the weather was hot, the fish went bad. In order to cover up the bad smell of fish, the merchants added seasonings when cooking. As a result, the cooked fish smells a little smelly, but it tastes delicious. Therefore, this dish was named "Stinky Mandarin Fish".

The historical allusions of snakehead reflect the wisdom of ancient Huizhou people in food preservation and their pursuit of food. Today, this dish has become one of the representative dishes in Huizhou, attracting countless diners with its unique flavor.