Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp

Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp

Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp

　　 The head of the Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp features pure body color, high meat yield, low fat content, delicious taste, rich nutrition, and is a purely natural green product. It can be used medicinally, offering benefits such as warming the stomach, nourishing the brain, dispelling cold, and strengthening muscles and bones. Regular consumption helps protect the cardiovascular system and also has beautifying effects on the skin. Folklore holds the bighead carp in high regard, as evidenced by a fish-eating folk rhyme: “Catfish belly, seasonal fish flower, bighead carp head, carp innards.” The flesh of the Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp is delicious and beloved by many, often seen as a fine dish on dining tables. Its edible ratio is 67.3%. Dishes such as Sichuan cuisine’s “Tan’s Fish Head,” Hunan cuisine’s “Chopped Chili Fish Head,” as well as clay pot fish head and fish head hotpot, are signature dishes in restaurants. The Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp, with its naturally sourced, tender, flavorful, juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth qualities, has won over consumers. These quality traits stem from the area’s long history of aquaculture, unique geographical location, aquatic environment, farming techniques, and cultural resources. The origin, Wild Boar Lake in Xiaonan District, covers an area of over 40,000 mu, and the fish is produced in the lake’s natural waters, with an annual output of 2,000 tons.

　　 The origin of the Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp, Wild Boar Lake, enjoys a unique location—18 km from Xiaogan City center and 46 km from downtown Wuhan. It is far from the hustle and bustle of urban areas. Surrounded by villages in Sancha Town, Maochen Town, Zhuzhan Town, and Minji Township, it lies amidst boundless pastoral scenery, free from factories, and retains its original rural ecological environment. About 500 meters off its western shore, the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway gently skirts the lake from north to south; on its southern bank, the Wuhan-Xiaogan Intercity Railway stretches like a rainbow over the lake’s edge, while Sanba Highway (from Yangdian Triangle Monument to Bayi Bridge) resembles a golden ribbon embracing the vast waters and leading them out to the beautiful outside world.

　　 The Wild Boar Lake stretches 12 km from north to south and 4 km from east to west. The region experiences distinct seasons, a mild climate, abundant rainfall, and a long frost-free period. The lake water is fresh with ample dissolved oxygen, and it produces key species year-round such as grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, crucian carp, and common carp, along with premium varieties like mandarin fish, catfish, yellow catfish, crabs, soft-shell turtles, freshwater shrimp, and Chinese high-fin banded shark. The lake is rich in aquatic life, highly conducive to fish breeding, habitat, and growth.

　　 The bighead carp (scientific name Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) is gentle in nature, dislikes jumping, and lives in the middle layer of the water. It is a filter feeder, mainly consuming plankton and some aquatic plants, and rarely eats artificial feed. Individuals weighing over 10 kg are commonly seen, with the largest reaching up to 50 kg. Under sufficient feeding conditions, one-year-old fish (first winter) can weigh 0.8–1 kg. Bighead carp are best at two years of age (three to six pounds). Since they reach sexual maturity between three to four years and spawn from early May to mid-June, winter is the best season to eat them, preferably cooked in soup with white radish or tofu. With proper cooking skill, the flavor is truly delicious and the broth rich. The fish head is best enjoyed by sucking—it’s like eating monkey brain, extremely nutritious. Most people can consume it.

　　 Bighead carp can be prepared by braising, stewing, steaming, or oil-poaching. Boiling best highlights the nutritional value of the fish head soup, while steaming and oil-poaching best bring out its light and fragrant characteristics. The bighead carp’s large head contains abundant fat and collagen, making it ideal for “clay pot fish head.” Its fine, short muscle fibers are delicate and easily break apart, so when slicing, place the fish skin-side down, cut diagonally, and follow the direction of the bones for cleaner cuts. The fish’s surface is covered with a slippery mucus, making slicing difficult. Soaking your hands in saltwater before cutting helps prevent slipping.

　　 When cooking, note: first, do not eat or break the gallbladder—if accidentally broken, rinse twice with clean water and add a little white vinegar during cooking. Second, wash the thin black peritoneal membrane lining the abdominal cavity. Third, understand the source of the fish head you’re eating—for example, those from heavily polluted areas, deformed fish (big head, thin body, small tail), fish with cloudy or bulging eyes, spoiled fish, or fish that have been dead too long will have much lower nutritional value. Fourth, when cooking fish heads, split them in half (or cook larger ones in two batches), fry Sichuan peppercorns in oil (don’t burn them), add the fish head to cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, then add appropriate white radish or tofu. Once the broth turns slightly milky, add seasonings (salt, ginger, white pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, dried chili, MSG), ensuring everything is fully cooked, flavorful, and slightly sticky for the best quality. For red-braised fish head, first clean the head, prepare ginger and garlic. Heat oil in a pan, add the fish head, stir-fry briefly, then add ginger, garlic, light soy sauce, cooking wine, and chili. After coloring, add half a pot of water. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat, then reduce sauce over high heat, add scallions, and serve.

　　 The body of the bighead carp can be cooked together with the head or separately. When cooked together, slice the fish meat and add it to the boiling fish head soup. Alternatively, the fish body can be eaten fresh as fish chunks, steamed, or made into fish balls. For curing, remove the head, divide the body into three sections (upper, middle, and lower—including dorsal fin, tail fin, pectoral fin, ventral fin, and central belly area—to be eaten with the head), cure at a ratio of 1:0.03 (adjust based on temperature and taste), dry with a towel after four days, sun-dry for two to three days, then store in shade or refrigerate to maintain color and texture. Avoid over-drying. Daily, you can also cut pieces for cooking—pan-fry until light yellow, add cold water, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and simmer for 2–3 minutes to make “Ciba Fish.” Other methods like “wine lees fish,” “oil-sealed fish,” and “spicy cured fish” depend on individual cooking skills.

　　 The origin of the Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp boasts a long history and cultural heritage. Since ancient times, the waters of Wild Boar Lake have been home to bighead carp. The industrious people of Xiaogan have a longstanding tradition of farming, catching, and eating bighead carp. The area’s rich waters and ancient legends of Wild Boar Lake form part of Xiaogan’s “Eight Scenic Spots of Old,” including the famed “Northern Jing Fishing Song,” described as “a thousand people bowing by day, ten thousand lanterns shining by night.”

　　 In the Yuan Dynasty’s “Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars,” legendary tales such as “Dong Yong Selling Himself to Bury His Father,” “Huang Xiang Warming His Parents’ Bed,” and “Meng Zong Crying Over Bamboo Shoots in Winter” all took place in Xiaogan, Hubei Province—the “Land of Filial Piety.” Xiaogan is a major birthplace of China’s “filial culture.” Xiaonan District is a land of talent, producing historical figures like Dong Yong and Meng Zong, famed for filial piety in the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods respectively; the renowned Song Dynasty philosophers and educators Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi; the upright Wan YanYang of the Ming Dynasty who opposed Wei Zhongxian; the Qing Dynasty scholar and official Xiong Cilü; and since the founding of New China, eminent scholars and jurists like Yang Yuqing, modern poet and vice president of the Chinese Prose Poetry Society Guan Yonghe, and contemporary painter and vice chairman of the Hubei Artists Association Tang Wenshun. It has long been a prosperous land of fish and rice.

　　 Legend says that the Queen Mother of the West descended to Earth with her youngest daughter, the Seventh Fairy, arriving in Chuan (now Xiaogan). There, they saw the vast, shimmering, and mystical waters of Yunmeng Marsh stretching for miles, filled with purple mist and unfathomable depths. Delighted, they played and bathed in the water. Their celestial aura startled a thousand-year-old wild boar demon, which roared and thrashed through the water, churning waves and muddying the waters. The fairies were terrified, and the Queen Mother ordered the White Dragon Horse to drive the demon away. Amid lightning and thunder, a wide ridge rose from the water, splitting it in two and separating the fairies from the demon. This encounter gave rise to the legend of the Seventh Fairy descending to Earth and forming a hundred-day bond with Dong Yong. Later, the Queen Mother’s bathing site was called “Queen Mother Lake,” and the troubled waters of the wild boar demon became “Wild Boar Lake.” Today, the two lakes lie adjacent to each other, east to west, within Xiaonan District.

　　 Xiaogan was anciently called Chuan, part of the ancient Yunmeng Marsh. According to the “Xiaogan Annals”: “Pu Lake, commonly known as Wild Boar Lake, is located 20 li east of the county, at the confluence of the Chuan River and Dou River…” Ancient poets described the Eight Scenic Spots of Chuan: “Lofty ridges screen the morning clouds, twin peaks send waterfalls from the sky. The Northern Jing Fishing Song plays like immortal tunes, the Western Lake Tavern bears imperial inscriptions. The judge’s hall forgets June beneath its locust shade, lotus fragrance stirs the royal pond. Spring clouds at Dong’s Tomb mark fairy traces, moonlight hangs nightly o’er Phoenix Terrace”—with “Northern Jing Fishing Song” and “Cheng Terrace Moonlit Night” lying on either side of Wild Boar Lake.

　　 Wild Boar Lake lies at the heart of the ancient Yunmeng Marsh, connecting south to Hankou and north to Anlu, where various waters converge into the Yangtze. Fishermen, merchants, and travelers often gathered here to rest, trade fish, and barter goods, forming a bustling town. The lake’s clear waters and plump fish—especially the docile and easily caught bighead carp, tender and delicious—attracted many fishermen. By day, merchant and fishing boats crisscrossed the lake, their fishermen’s songs echoing; on the northern shore, traders exchanged greetings. By night, fishing lights dotted the water. Hence the saying: “A thousand people bow by day, ten thousand lanterns shine by night.” The old Xiaogan County Annals describe: “Beijingzui lies amid rivers, lakes, and ditches. The old Huanchuan River flows past the county town, exits Chenbapu, and meets at Beijingzui with waters from Queen Mother Lake, Zhu Lake, Wild Boar Lake, and Baishui Lake. In spring and summer, when waters rise, the area becomes a vast, misty expanse. At dawn and dusk, with crimson clouds and mirrored waters, fishermen play flutes, songs echo, nets are cast, and fishing songs answer back. The songs, long and short, are melodious, earning the praise ‘Fairy Tunes of the Northern Jing Fishing Song.’ A local scholar once wrote the lyrics to ‘Waves Washing Sand · Northern Jing Fishing Song’: ‘A lone boat drifts by fishermen’s homes, life on the water, moored in shallow shallows. Paddles splash where waves curl, piercing through mist and haze. Sung past White Fen Marsh, past reed flowers, long and short tunes like a lute. The song ends as the great river flows east, rain clears and wind slants.’”

　　 According to the “Xiaogan Local Annals”: During the Yuanhe era of Emperor Ling of Han, beside Pu Lake (Wild Boar Lake), 40 li east of Xiaogan, lived a poor mother and son surnamed Dong. The mother, often ill, lost her appetite. To care for her, the son fished and cooked soup for her besides tending fields and chopping wood. One day, he caught a large fish—seven or eight pounds, with a broad head, wide mouth, fine scales, and floral patterned body. He rushed home, cleaned it, and cooked it with local white radish. The resulting soup was delicious, the fish snow-white and tender. His mother’s appetite returned, and she ate a large bowl, gradually recovering soon after. This story became widely told.

　　 Today, the Wild Boar Lake Wetland Ecological Reserve hosts specialized fish farms that protect the water quality and surrounding ecology of the lake’s bighead carp origin. They release native Yangtze River bighead carp stock, and practice strict standardized, professional healthy aquaculture to preserve the natural state of the growth environment and maintain the wild, original quality of the fish. Moreover, Wild Boar Lake boasts beautiful scenery, serene environment, crystal-clear waters, and winding shorelines, with cultural and natural landscapes everywhere. Trees line the lake’s embankments and paths, with tall metasequoias and graceful weeping willows. Fish ponds crisscross the landscape. In autumn and winter, it becomes a habitat for rare migratory birds like swans, egrets, herons, and wild ducks. It’s an ideal spot for eco-tourism, leisure, and recreation. As the poem goes: “Chuan’s splendid beauty has many wonders, Wild Boar Lake stands first by its shores. A hundred li of rolling waves, vast misty waters without end. In spring, willows brush the banks; in summer, lotuses outshine sunrise. Visitors gasp in awe, as if lost in a peach blossom garden. The Northern Jing Fishing Song lives on, the Cheng Terrace Moon still lingers. Countless tales of past glory remain for guests to savor.”

　　The current administrative region of Wild Boar Lake, Xiaonan District, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province

　　Letter from the People’s Government of Xiaonan District, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province Regarding the Proposed Definition of the Geographical Indication Product Protection Scope for Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp, Xiaonan Political Letter [2012] No. 19. Hubei Xiaogan Local Standard: DB420900/T009-2011 “Wild Boar Lake Bighead Carp”