Fish cake

Fish cake

　　Fish cake, commonly known as "mixed stew" and abbreviated as "touzi," is a traditional dish from Hubei. Legend has it that when Emperor Shun toured the south, his concubine Xiang enjoyed eating fish but disliked the bones. A clever chef then created a cake where one could "eat fish without seeing fish," hence the fish cake is also called "Xiangfei Cake."

　　The origin of the name "touzi" is recorded in historical texts as originally being an official title. By the second year of the Zhenghe era during the Northern Song Dynasty (1112 AD), this dish was served as one of the main courses at the "Head Fish Banquet" held at the time. In the late Southern Song Dynasty, it became widely popular, and the aristocracy would always serve fish cake as the main dish when hosting banquets. By the Qing Dynasty, it had become customary for weddings, funerals, celebrations, and other formal events among officials, nobles, and wealthy families to prepare fish cake to entertain guests. Today, it has become a common saying that "no banquet is complete without fish cake." The fish cake is snow-white, soft, tender, fragrant, and resilient—it won’t break even when folded. Nowadays, while inheriting traditional cooking methods, chefs have continuously researched and improved the recipe, creating fish cake dishes with a variety of flavors.