Ayu (sweetfish)

Ayu (sweetfish)

　　　Product Name: Ayu (Sweetfish)

　　　　Alias: Scaleless Fish,

　　　　Place of Origin: Nanxi River, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province

　　　　Product Characteristics: The flesh is tender, fatty, delicious, aromatic, and has a unique flavor.

　　　　Product Composition: Nutritional components such as protein, fat, and starch.

　　　　Product Efficacy: Nourishing and strengthening the body, preserving youth and health

　　　　Product Introduction: The ayu is a unique and precious freshwater fish found in the Nanxi River. It is 15 to 20 centimeters in length, with an elongated and laterally compressed body, a small head and pointed snout, large mouth and small eyes. Its upper body is bluish-yellow, the dorsal edge is dark grayish-black, while the sides and belly are silvery-white. It is covered with fine scales, has no spines on its fins, and features a small adipose fin behind the dorsal fin, along with a yellow spot above the pelvic fin. It gets its name from a duct along its back filled with fragrant oil that emits a strong aroma.

　　　　Product History: The Nanxi River has long been famous for its abundant ayu. As early as the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, ayu were produced in the Nanxi River. According to the Wanli-era "Wenzhou Prefecture Annals", the ayu “is three to four inches long, delicious and without fishy smell, lives only in clear streams, appears only in October, and is slightly different from those found in Yue.” The "Yandang Mountain Annals" also recorded: “It can be found wherever mountain waters flow into rivers. When these waters flow westward into Yongnanxi River, they can be found at places such as Fenglin, Dangxi, Xiatan, and Gumiao Pool.” Commonly known as “stream carp” or also called “melon fish,” it belongs to the Salmoniformes order, suborder Osmeroidei, and is named for its distinctive aroma. The ayu is elongated and laterally compressed, with a small head and pointed mouth, covered in fine scales, with a grayish-black back and silver-white belly. Its flesh is tender, fatty, and delicious with a pleasant aroma, making it a high-grade edible fish. It is a valuable economic fish species and is often hailed as the “King of Freshwater Fish.”

　　　　Product Anecdote: Qing Dynasty poet Ren Shizhen wrote a seven-character quatrain: “The Nanxi River is full of fishing cottages, willow-lined paths and clear streams stretch sparsely. Best after sunset when wind and rain have passed, half the river’s red trees sell ayu.” In late autumn, when ayu come onto the market in the Nanxi River, it keeps both visitors to the area and owners of nearby eateries busy, all competing to buy the freshly caught ayu. Whether under the moonlight by a tile-roofed house with paper windows, enjoying strong homemade liquor and a steamed plate of uniquely flavorful ayu—“drinking together with the old man next door, calling across the fence to share the joy”—it offers a truly special delight.