Changhu Fish Cake

Changhu Fish Cake

　　Changhu Fish Cake is made primarily from white silver carp from Changhu Lake, mixed with a small amount of pork fat, starch, egg whites, ginger, and scallion whites, among other seasonings. The mixture is spread into a flat, round strip, placed in a steamer, and steamed over high heat to create this traditional folk delicacy. The fish cake boasts a strong local flavor—white inside and golden yellow outside—with a bright color, delicate and soft texture, elasticity, and a deliciously tender taste that leaves a lasting aftertaste.

　　Legend has it that Emperor Shun had two beloved consorts, Ehuang and Nüying, who were sisters, with Ehuang being the elder and also known as the Xiang Empress. During an imperial tour to the south, the delicate Xiang Empress became increasingly weak due to the exhaustion of travel, losing her appetite and growing frailer by the day. Her younger sister, deeply concerned, ordered the imperial chef Sima Bi to remove the fish head and tail, scrape off the skin, and pick out all the bones before mincing the remaining flesh. Pork fat was then added for flavor. Knowing the Empress had little appetite due to illness, the chef was instructed to make the dish more savory. Believing ginger to be the most appetizing ingredient, he added a generous amount along with a small quantity of flour to bind the main ingredients. Finally, he used egg whites and a bit of flour to make a thin omelet in a pan, which was then used to wrap the minced fish and seasonings into a flat, round strip. To enhance its appearance and stimulate the appetite, red and yellow food coloring were added to brighten the color, and the cake was steamed over high heat. When the Empress tried it with her chopsticks, she found the flavor delightful, suddenly regained her appetite, and gradually recovered her health. From then on, she enjoyed fish-flavored cakes without actually eating fish, making fish cake a staple at every meal. Thus, the fish cake came into being and came to be known as Xiang Empress Cake.

　　Later, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, King Zhuang of Chu developed a particular fondness for fish cakes from Hougang and even rewarded the maker with a thousand taels of gold. Hence, the fish cake was also called “Chu Cake.” It is said that when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty tasted the fish cake, he spontaneously remarked, “Eating fish yet not seeing fish, delightful as a lily cake.” As a result, it was also named “Lily Cake.” Later, when Hougang became part of Changhu, and the lake produced a variety of fish suitable for making cakes, the fish cake, resembling rice cake in shape, earned its name. In the second year of the Zhenghe era during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty (1112 AD), fish cake had become a “Head Fish Banquet” dish, offered to the emperor or served at imperial banquets for ministers. By the late Southern Song Dynasty, fish cake was a must-have main dish at banquets hosted by the nobility in Jingmen. In the early Qing Dynasty, when Zheng Jing occupied Taiwan and refused to return, soldiers grew discontented with the constant fish diet, but a soldier from Hougang serving under Shi Lang introduced the fish cake recipe, causing a sensation across the island as locals rushed to buy it. In 1895, when Japan occupied Taiwan, the fish cake was introduced to Japan; in 1950, it was supplied to the U.S. military stationed in Japan and has remained popular ever since. In 1966, the fish cake won the “UN Human Progress Award” from the UN Healthy Food Foundation and entered French supermarkets that same year. In 1990, it made its way into Buckingham Palace. In 2002, it appeared at the Guangzhou Food Festival, and between 2003 and 2004, it gradually made its debut in major cities such as Shanghai and Nanjing. At traditional celebrations and banquets, fish cake is indispensable, giving rise to the saying, “No banquet is complete without fish cake, and no fish cake means no proper banquet.”

　　Changhu Fish Cake has a documented history of over 800 years.