The fish maw is the swim bladder of the longnose shad, why has it become a specialty of Shishou? Well, then first say longnose shad it! Longnose shad, commonly known as catfish (back to the fish), river group, fat tuo, etc., it is a valuable carnivorous freshwater fish, in China's Yangtze River, Pearl River, Minjiang River, Huaihe River, Liaohe River, as well as the United Kingdom, France, Russia, the United States, part of the region also has a distribution. However, the strange phenomenon is that, in addition to the Shishou River, the other waters of any longnose shad are not swim bladder fat body large and tender and white pennant-shaped fish belly. In fact, it is not strange: one is the past and present, the Yangtze River nine curves and eighteen bends, a sharp bend directly to the Shishou Penjiao Mountain; two is the past and present, the Shishou Penjiao Mountain, standing in front of the river, blocking the eastward flow of the river water from the north to go, leaving the rapid rotation back to the flow in this place, naturally become a paradise for the longnose dace to return to the river to hunt for food, and naturally create the "reflux of the longnose dace" distinctive pennon-shaped fish maw! It looks like the reflection in the water of Shishou Penjiao Mountain, so there are people's curiosity and association. In accordance with the traditional culture of the I Ching, the ancients naturally thought, the mountain is Yang, water is Yin, the mountain has a penstock shape, the fish has a penstock belly, this is the combination of yin and yang of the mountain and the water, highlighting the Shishou people and the spirit of the land, so there is a penstock fish maw called. That is, the fish belly for Shishou specialties, the origin of the famous ancient and modern.

According to legend, Shishou County, Xiulin town of Dongyue, Nanyue between the two mountains there is a village. There lived a young man named Bi Jia. Early death of his parents, the family was poor, to reed as a pen, river sand as paper, the moon as a lamp, reading and practicing calligraphy, hard work to become a talent, everyone loved him. Not far from the Bijia Dongyue Mountain living under a Hui girl, dexterous, very beautiful, adore Bijia, help Bijia sharpening pens, take sand, as a companion, people praise them as a natural pair. One day, the girl went to the river to get sand, dug up a bright, shiny pen holder, given to Bi Jia pen. This thing is extraordinary, luminous at night, Bi A from now on do not read and write under the moon. This strange thing spread to the black hearted landlord Lai three there, he was dying three feet, came up with a poisonous plan, called Bi Jia catch dozens of cattle to the Nanyue Mountain, deep grass grazing. Lai San followed and secretly pulled one cow away. When Bi Jia came back at night, one cow was missing and he couldn't find it anywhere. Lai San insisted that the cow was missing, and asked Bi Jia to pay for it with a precious pen holder. The treasure was a gift from Miss Hui, but Bi Jia refused to take it. Lai San brought people to rob, Bi Jia held the precious pen holder and escaped through the window, ran to the bottom of Dongyue Mountain, the rolling Yangtze River blocked the way and could not run again. Seeing Lai San coming, in order to keep the treasure from falling into Lai San's hands, Bi Jia threw the treasure into the river. Lai San was enraged and beat Bi Jia to death by the river. Miss Hui rushed to cry loudly, crying to the night, the river golden light, the treasure pen holder even magically appeared. This news to Lai three know, rushed to take the boat down the river, ready to fishing treasure. Miss Hui hurriedly jumped into the river, grabbed the treasure pen holder. Strangely enough, Miss Hui turned into a fish and swallowed the pen holder with her mouth open. At this time, the sky was dark, lightning and thunder, and the ground was torn by a landslide. The next day, the wind stops thunder stops, a mountain grows on the ground, shaped like a pen holder, linking Dongyue, Nanyue two mountains, people called [Penjie Mountain]. The Yangtze River has been more than one kind of fish. This fish is different, the fish belly shaped like a pen, people called the pen shelf fish belly. This fish swims up only 50 miles, swim down only 50 miles, can not see the pen on the turn back, never leave the Penjiao Mountain. Since then, people say that this fish is a fish girl into the belly of the fish belly is a treasure penjing into the lightning and thunder that day, Bijia into the penjing mountain to the Lai Shan gang under the mountain, Hui girl can not give up the Bijia brother, change the fish also do not leave the penjing mountain.

Penjia fish belly legend two

In the north of Shishou City, there is a mountain, shaped like a pen, the Yangtze River flows from the bottom of the mountain. Penjiao Mountain as the center, up to Jiangling Hao cave, down to the mouth of the Dongting Lake, between the 50 kilometers, the river flow curve like nine back to the intestines. In this section of the river grows a valuable fish. This fish has two peculiarities, one is only grown in this 50 kilometers of river water, not elsewhere; Second, it is the belly of the fish is large and fat, like a peach-shaped, in the middle of a thick tendon, looks like the local pennies, thus "pennies fish belly" will be named.

Legend Three

The year Lu Ban traveled to Dongting Lake, passing through Shishou County, just in time for the rich family to build buildings. Dissatisfied with the rich man's miserliness and harshness, the craftsmen intentionally on the beams on both sides of the column head thinner, unexpectedly this matter was found by the rich man and to the craftsmen to claim compensation. It so happened that Lu Ban saw this, then picked up some shavings, in the mouth a wipe, subsidized to the head of the column, and tore off their own rags in the head of the tenon pad, so that the work process quickly together. Seeing Lu Ban's skill, the rich man insisted Lu Ban to stay and build a house for him and teach his son the craft, and even served him good food. Lu Ban, realizing the rich man's usual behavior, spat into the rice and said to the rich man, "If you eat this rice first, I will stay and teach your son the craft." The rich man refused to eat it and threw the rice into the Yangtze River below Penjiao Mountain. As the arowana fish at the bottom of the river swallowed the rice, the arowana fish belly grew thick and transparent. From then on, this fish belly will be called "Penjiao fish belly".

The Yangtze River in its waters neither this fish, there is no "Penjie fish belly". Local folklore: Penjiao Mountain under a shad Palace, the Palace lived first a long-nosed shad fish king, where to this pilgrimage to worship it long-nosed shad fish, will get the Penjiao mountain-shaped large swim bladder. Fish belly, also known as "fish glue", is made of fish scales, skin, bone, swim bladder as raw material for animal glue or gelatin. Yellowtail, such as swim bladder glue is directly dried fish glue, in addition to being used as industrial raw materials, for food called "fish maw. The fish maw of Shishou Penjiao is a precious food made from the swim bladder of long-nosed shad produced in the waters of Shishou section of the Yangtze River. Long-nosed shad, that is, "shad", this fish is large, up to about one meter long, generally weighing seven or eight pounds, the larger more than 20 pounds. The back is grayish-white and the belly is white. The swim bladder of the longnose shad is big, fat and rich in nutrients, and the shape of the swim bladder and the red texture embedded in the swim bladder resemble the Shishou Penjiao Mountain standing on the bank of the Yangtze River, so it is named "Penjiao Fish Maw". Penjiao fish maw is exquisite in appearance, white with green color, crystal and lovely. The sun made good fish belly is like a jade carving. General a fish belly two two or so, large up to half a catty. Cooking masters with pennies fish maw can be cooked out of "chicken fish maw", "shrimp fish maw", "sea cucumber fish maw", "braised fish maw "and other delicacies, all flavorful and delicious, high nutritional value.