Anchovy

Anchovy

　　　Product Name: Anchovy

　　Alias: "Zi Ji" "Ji Yu"

　　Season: March

　　Origin: Wenzhou, Zhejiang

　　Characteristics: Tender texture, fragrant and crispy, appealing color, delicious and refreshing.

　　Ingredients: Contains nutrients such as purines and protein

　　Benefits: Sweet in taste, can replenish qi deficiency and strengthen the spleen and stomach

　　Introduction: Commonly known as "Zi Ji" and also called "Ji Yu," the anchovy is a premium economic fish. It is a famous specialty of Wenzhou and makes a great side dish or accompaniment to alcohol.

　　It gets its name because its tail is forked, short, red, pointed, narrow, and long, resembling a phoenix tail. A local saying passed down through generations in Wenzhou goes: "Yandang’s fine wine and Chashan’s plums, and behind Jiangxin Temple, the anchovies." Every March, the anchovies living in the shallow sea swim upstream and gather in the waters around Jiangxin Islet. Local fishermen then take their Zi Ji boats out to cast nets. The highest yield is found in the waters behind Jiangxin Temple. This fish has many roes inside, with tender flesh. It can be boiled, but it's more commonly pan-fried by locals—crispy, fragrant, and delicious.

　　Story: Legend has it that Wang Shiping, the top scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty (from Yueqing), once studied on Jiangxin Islet. His diligence and love for learning moved the Dragon King of the East Sea, who specially sent him

　　this fish called "Zi Ji" to eat.