Dongpo Ink Fish

Dongpo Ink Fish

　　Dongpo Ink Fish, also known as “Sweet and Sour Dongpo Ink Fish,” is a famous Sichuan dish made primarily with fresh cuttlefish. It features a golden color, crispy exterior, tender interior, sweet and slightly spicy flavor with rich taste. “Dongpo Ink Fish” is a distinctive delicacy from Leshan, Sichuan, associated with the Northern Song Dynasty literary giant Su Dongpo. The ink fish here is not the squid found in the sea, but a type of ink-skinned fish with a small mouth, long body, and rich meat found in the Minjiang River at the foot of Lingyun Mountain and Wulong Mountain in Leshan City, also called “ink head fish.” Legend has it that when Su Dongpo went to Lingyun Temple to study, he often washed his inkstone under Lingyun Rock. The fish in the river ate the ink, which turned their skin an inky black, hence they were named “Dongpo Ink Fish.”

　　Dongpo Ink Fish is a renowned traditional Sichuan dish well-known both in China and abroad. The Dongpo Ink Fish from Leshan, Sichuan, is said to have originated in the Song Dynasty and is associated with Su Dongpo. Originally called ink head fish, it comes from the Minjiang River at the foot of Lingyun Mountain and Wulong Mountain in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. It is a type of ink head fish with a small mouth, long body, and rich meat. Locals used to cook it, but it wasn’t famous. Later, during the Song Dynasty, the poet Su Dongpo went to Lingyun Temple to study and often washed his inkstone under Lingyun Rock. The fish in the river consumed the ink, turning their skin a deep, inky black. As a result, people started calling it “Dongpo Ink Fish,” and it became widely known across the province. Alongside Jiangtuan and Feituo, it is honored as one of the “Three Famous Fish of the Sichuan River,” becoming a celebrated signature dish of Leshan, and gaining fame both domestically and internationally. Nowadays, both domestic and international visitors to Leshan, Sichuan, consider tasting this fish a delightful experience.