Wuxi, Jiangsu

Whitebait is one of the "Three Whites" in Wuxi. The "Three Whites" refer to whitebait, white shrimp, and white fish. The white squid is top-notch in the water. The white squid has few bones, no earthy smell, and is delicate and smooth in the mouth. The autumn lake crabs are strong and yellow and fat, making you hungry from ear to ear.

Whitebait is a freshwater fish, about seven to ten centimeters long, with a slightly round body, tender and transparent, and a color like silver, hence its name. The fish found in the Yangtze River Estuary is slightly longer and is commonly known as "noodle fish" or "noodle fish".

Taihu Lake has a long history of whitebait. According to the "Taihu Lake Preparation" records, during the Spring and Autumn Period of Wu and Yue, Taihu Lake produced whitebait at its peak. People in the Song Dynasty had a famous saying that "after spring, whitebait and perch are under the frost", and whitebait and perch were listed as treasures among fishes.

During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, whitebait was listed as a tribute and was known as the "Three Treasures of Taihu" together with white shrimp and plum bream. There are four species of Taihu whitebait: Taihu shortnose whitebait, oligodontous shortnose whitebait, large whitebait and Lei's whitebait.

The yields are highest among large whitebait and Taihu shortnose whitebait. Taihu whitebait spawns on the reeds and aquatic grass stems on the edge of Taihu Lake in spring. The spawning period is mainly from mid-May to mid-to-late June every year, which is also the flood season for fishing for whitebait.

There is a saying in Dongshan that "the loquats in Wangyue are yellow and the whitebait in Taihu Lake is fat". Whitebait is rich in nutrients, the meat is delicate, white and tender, has no scales, no spines, no bones, no intestines, no fishy smell, and contains a variety of nutrients. Most of the chilled whitebait is exported and sold overseas, where it is known as "fish ginseng".

The color, aroma, taste and shape of dried whitebait made after exposure remain unchanged for a long time. There are many beautiful legends about whitebait, and there are many ways to cook whitebait. "Steamed egg with whitebait" is the simplest and most famous way to eat whitebait. Since you have eaten it, it's even better. Just make this one and don't need to learn anything else. ?