Why is there no fish in the fish-flavored shredded pork?

Fish-flavored shredded pork seasoning has nothing to do with fish. It is named "Yuxiang" after imitating the seasoning and method of Sichuan folk cooking fish. It has the characteristics of salty, sweet, sour, spicy, fresh and fragrant, and it tastes excellent when used for cooking. But?

A popular Weibo caught the director's attention-

@ Today's headline: Fish-flavored shredded pork has no fishy smell. Women make a lot of noise in restaurants. Yesterday, a foreign female tourist ate in a restaurant in Jiulongpo, Chongqing, and ordered a plate of fish-flavored shredded pork. However, the female tourists took a few bites and felt that the fish-flavored shredded pork was not "fishy" and the chef's cooking was not authentic. Later, the woman and the restaurant owner became more serious, thinking that he had cheated consumers and wanted to ask for an explanation.

Seeing the director here, I fell into deep thought: I have eaten "Fish-flavored shredded pork" all over the country for so many years, but I have never seen any ingredients in it, and the tastes are varied ... I forgot the authentic taste I once ate in Sichuan.

So should fish-flavored shredded pork have a "fishy smell"? Why is it called shredded pork with fish flavor? How to make authentic fish-flavored shredded pork? Come and drool today!

Is there any fish in "Fish-flavored shredded pork"?

Simply put: no!

Does it taste like fish? To answer this question, you have to say-

Why is it called "shredded pork with fish flavor"?

Netizen one thinks:

The generally accepted explanation of "fish flavor" is the flavor of Sichuan folk cooking fish, but in fact, a dish with real fish participation will not be named "fish flavor", so "fish flavor" has become a specific name, and its real meaning is "there is no fish, but it simulates the taste of fish participation". It can be said that there is no silver here, and it is amazing to confuse the real with the fake.

Netizen 2 also mentioned:

Fish-flavored shredded pork is made with fish seasoning. Pickled peppers and onions, ginger and garlic are traditionally used to treat the fishy smell and keep the fish fresh and tender during cooking. It is not difficult to see that this is a seasoning specially designed for freshwater fish, but it has an extraordinary effect when used in shredded pork.

Senior foodies: But from another angle:

The origin of the word "fish flavor" is that the editor of Professor Xiong Sizhi's book "Cuisine of Sichuan Cuisine" thinks that it comes from Zigong's "fake fish and sea pepper" and there is no real fish. When I was playing in Tianya before, there was a man named "Fool-"who was very knowledgeable about the history of Sichuan cuisine. He quoted Chezhi as saying that it originated from the newly developed "chili for soaking fish", but there were fish.

So, do you think fish-flavored shredded pork should smell like fish?

How to make "authentic fish-flavored shredded pork"?

Whether it is fish-flavored shredded pork or fish-flavored eggplant, no matter whether it smells fishy or not, as long as there is an authentic "fish flavor", it can't run away. As the most famous fish flavor in the compound flavor of Sichuan cuisine, the soul lies in that exquisite bowl of "fish flavor juice".

The so-called "fish flavor" mainly comes from the blending of sugar, vinegar, cooking wine, pickled pepper, pickled ginger and soy sauce. Pickled peppers are an essential part.

The director personally tested a more reliable formula for your reference: cooking wine 10g, rice vinegar 20g, sugar 25g, a little salt, soy sauce 15g, pickled pepper, soaked ginger, chopped onion, and finally added a spoonful of water starch to thicken.

In the choice of ingredients, there is a view that the most authentic fish-flavored shredded pork has no ingredients such as shredded bamboo shoots and fungus.

User 1:

I attach here a collection of Chongqing Recipes published by 1974 as evidence, and respond with the conscience of the angry kitchen community-authentic fish-flavored shredded pork, one is resolutely not to put bamboo shoots and fungus, the other is not to put Pixian watercress, and the third is that the ingredients of chopped pepper and ginger should be pickled ginger+pickled sea pepper.

Netizen 2 thinks:

It's really hard to say whether green bamboo shoots and shredded auricularia are the original match. After all, Sichuan cuisine is constantly being tested and developed. However, the introduction of another ingredient, pickled ginger, is extremely controversial. It's hard to say whether the taste is improved or "bad". Even the masters of Sichuan cuisine can't agree on the proportion of soaked ginger, so the taste will follow.

As for other shredded green peppers, shredded red peppers, shredded carrots and even shredded potatoes ... there is no doubt that young people, you are more likely to eat a sweet and sour hodgepodge than an authentic shredded pork with fish flavor!