Historical records record the Hezhe people’s diet as follows: “Fishing is their food... they don’t know about grains, and only dogs are the only animals.” Their food customs bear the imprint of primitive fishing and hunting life. The smart and hard-working Hezhe people absorbed the nutrition of the food culture of neighboring ethnic groups and created traditional food customs such as raw fish, sun-dried meat, barbecue, cooking, frying, deep-frying, and pickling. In the early days, the Hezhen people "lived by rivers and fish and animal meat were their staple food." In modern times, they exchanged fish products and animal skins for millet and miscellaneous grains, and went to the mountains to collect wild vegetables themselves. The tribe's diet of eating raw fish, sashimi, sashimi, shavings, and talaha (grilled fish fillets) is very local and ethnic, and is called "a living specimen of northern Asia's fishing and hunting culture" by scholars. .

Shasheng fish

Shasheng fish, crispy and raw,

talaha, fragrant.

The ancestors of the Hezhe people lived by rivers and ate fish and animal meat. They eat fish in many ways, and Shasheng fish is one of their famous dishes. Hezhe people not only like to eat Shasheng fish themselves, but also treat relatives, friends and guests as a respect for this dish. Shasheng fish has become an indispensable famous dish for Hezhe people during festivals, entertaining guests, and weddings.

There are four common ways to cook raw fish:

The first is raw fish mixed with vegetables, which is called "Talak" in Hezhe language. This dish is made from Heilongjiang's specialties - sturgeon, catfish, carp, grass roots, white fish and other fresh fish as raw materials. After bleeding, the fish meat is removed, cut into thin strips, and mixed with wild "ginger, green onion" and " Wild Chili Peppers”, add vinegar and salt and serve. When vinegar is not available, wild cherries can be mashed into pulp and mixed with juice, which will taste very delicious. Legend has it that this practice was passed down from a wise daughter-in-law. Earlier, there was a new daughter-in-law who just came into the family. She was very smart and capable, and she could not solve anything. One day, her husband's father-in-law gave her a difficult problem. The fish he asked her to cook looked raw but was cooked when eaten. The new wife happily agreed. She picked two large fresh carps, cut off the flesh with a flying knife, cut them into shreds, put them in a birch basin, and soaked them in vinegar. Grill the fish skin on the fire, shake it off and all the fish scales will fall off. Sprinkle some ginger and green onions on it, and the wild fish skin will be browned and fragrant. She cut the fish skin into thin strips and put it into a birch basin, then mixed it with some seasonings such as ginger, green onions, wild chili peppers, and salt, and a large basin of raw fish was ready. As soon as the old man ate it, he praised it for a job well done. Since then, this method of mixing vegetables and raw fish has been passed down. Nowadays, the ingredients for making this dish are more complete, including vermicelli noodles, mung bean sprouts, shredded potatoes, shredded spinach, shredded cabbage, shredded cucumber, etc., as well as seasonings such as MSG, ginger, refined salt, chili oil, onions, and garlic. The color, aroma and taste are complete, fresh and delicious. This dish can be eaten with wine to greatly increase your appetite.

The second is to eat sashimi, which is called "Labtek" in Hezhe language. It is made by peeling off the live fish meat and cutting it into thin slices. It is eaten with only vinegar and salt, and even better with chili oil. This is often eaten in spring, summer and autumn.

The third is to eat wood shavings, which is called "Su Ri A Ke" in Hezhe language. This is how to eat it in winter. The method is to peel the frozen fish into thin slices, like shavings, and eat it immediately with vinegar, salt and chili oil. It is cool and convenient, and can relieve hangover. To make this kind of shaved peanut fish, the raw materials must be good fish such as sturgeon, catfish, dog, Zheluo, fine scale, and Yabusha. Especially sturgeon, after peeling the skin, cut the bones and meat into thin slices. The bones are so crisp that you can eat them all, and the delicious taste is indescribable. Nowadays, this dish is still a delicacy for entertaining guests and is loved by everyone.

The fourth is to eat grilled fish, which is called "Talaha" in Hezhe language. The method is to remove the skin from both sides of the backbone of the fresh fish, then cut it into thin slices, skewer them with sharpened willow sticks, and roast them on the fire until they are three or four times cooked, that is, It can be eaten with vinegar and salt. The way to eat it on the fishing beach is to grill it first and then cut it into slices. In this way of eating, the fish meat is fragrant, crispy and very delicious.

Nowadays, Chinese and foreign tourists who go to Hezhe Township in Jiejinkou, in addition to admiring the beautiful scenery there and understanding the customs and customs of the Hezhe people, will also taste Hezhe's famous dish - Shasheng fish. In addition to the four kinds of raw fish mentioned above, there are also salmon roe, sturgeon roe, raw fish gills, raw locust fish bones, nose, fins, etc. In addition, there are many ways to cook cooked fish, the most delicious of which is crucian carp soup steamed with river water. When served on the table, the fragrance is fragrant and appetizing.