Bagu Lianxin Fish

Bagu Lianxin Fish

　　Bagu Lianxin Fish

　　In the Miao villages around Bagu Town, Duyun City, there is a delicious and deeply symbolic dish called Bagu Lianxin Fish.

　　When guests arrive at a home, the host will catch a plump, live carp and place it in a wooden basin filled with clean water. They pick some prickly ash leaves, crush them, and put them in the basin to help clean out the mud and impurities inside the fish’s belly. Typically, they change the water three times and use three rounds of crushed prickly ash leaf juice to thoroughly clean the fish’s internal organs. Then, an iron pot is placed over the fire, containing cold water, cold sour broth (made from fermented chili), and cold lard. The live fish, still jumping energetically after having its gallbladder removed, is placed into the pot, and the lid is closed. When the sounds of the fish struggling in the pot fade away, the water comes to a boil, and the aroma of the fish wafts through the air, the lid is lifted to reveal tender, golden fish that is mouthwateringly delicious. The host places a wooden board horizontally over the pot, and on the board sits a small bowl filled with a dipping sauce made from salt, spicy seasonings, minced ginger, minced garlic, and prickly ash. The host and guests, seated in a circle around the hearth, each have a wine cup and a serving bowl in front of them, marking the start of a simple yet charming fish feast. As the host and guests toast each other, their warm affections ripple through the gathering, leading into the joyful and heartfelt highlight of the fish dinner — eating the “Lianxin Fish.” The male host picks up his chopsticks, turns over the largest fish in the pot, cuts open the flesh along the belly, and removes a cluster of innards where the heart is connected to the liver and the liver to the intestines. After giving them a quick dip in the sauce, he offers them to the most honored guest.