Unique Tet fish dish in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn)- For generations, people living along the coast of Nghe An have maintained the tradition of eating catfish during Tet. This rustic dish contains many unique cultural features.

Before the full moon of December, Mrs. Pham Hong Can, Kim Khanh hamlet, Nghi An commune, Vinh city went to Quan Banh market to buy more than a dozen catfish to prepare for Tet. As a family that still maintains many traditional customs of the ancient Nghi Loc coastal area, buying catfish for Tet is a tradition that her family has preserved from previous generations. Catfish chosen for braised Tet are fresh, firm fish, processed so that the head covers the tail, and is well-seared. When braised with molasses, galangal, and lemongrass, the fish has a yellow color and is not crushed. If on normal days, catfish only costs about 60 - 80 thousand VND/kg, on Tet, the price of fish doubles.

The dish of head-and-tail-sucking catfish has become an indispensable traditional dish during Tet in the coastal region of Nghe An. Photo: Nguyen Khoa

After buying, the fish is put into a clay pot, covered with sugarcane, ginger, galangal and a little honey, fish sauce, white salt, fried onions, simmered for a few hours until the fish has a golden color, mixed with the aroma of the spices, then it can be used.

Mrs. Can said that not only her family but all families in Nghi An, Nghi Duc (Vinh City), Phuc, Thai, Tho (Nghi Loc District) and people in Cua Lo Town have the dish of catfish on the ancestral altar during Tet. In terms of meaning, catfish is prepared with its head and tail in its mouth during Tet to remind descendants to remember their roots and ancestors no matter where they go, where they come from, or what they do, especially in the first days of the new year; the round fish placed on the plate on the ancestral altar also symbolizes the sun, expressing the wish for prosperity in the new year.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chan, nearly 80 years old in Nghi Duc commune, also explained that the reason why every family eats catfish on Tet holiday is because this is a very popular fish in coastal areas. On the other hand, the structure of this fish is quite special, the meat is firm, has a hard layer of scales on the outside, when stewed with fish sauce and salt, it can be kept for a month without spoiling. In the past, this was a fish that poor people ate during Tet, so today, it is preserved and cherished by descendants until today, as a way to remind future generations of the tradition of their ancestors.

The dish of salted fish is called salty fish (to distinguish it from bland fish - bland freshwater fish), and is present in the New Year's Eve dinner and New Year's offerings of families. In particular, in the evening meal on the 30th, all family members must try the salted fish dish to give their opinions on how to make the dish more perfect in the new year. If everyone finishes the dish of salted fish and praises it as delicious, it is a sign of a smooth and prosperous new year for the host of the New Year's Eve dinner. Therefore, everyone meticulously prepares this traditional fish dish.

Nguyen Khoa