Notes when eating eel meat

In our country, eel meat is very familiar from the countryside to the city. Wildly hunted or caged eels can be processed into dozens of dishes, snacks and is also a true functional food to support the treatment of diseases of men, women, the elderly and children. However, when using eel meat, you need to note:

Eels belong to a family of freshwater fish, living in tropical freshwater, similar to eels; the scientific name is the family Synbranchidae. The family Eels has up to 18 species in 4 genera. The eel familiar to us belongs to the genus Monopteus, scientific name is Monopterus albus (East Asian finless eel, rice field eel or swamp eel). Eels have almost no fins: pectoral and pelvic fins are absent, dorsal and anal fins are degenerated, only vestigial, the anal fin is very small. Eels have small eyes, small gill slits, no swim bladder and ribs, probably to adapt to living in mud. Eels are hermaphrodites, the gonads have both spermatocysts and ovaries.

Nutritional and pharmacological value

Compared with freshwater seafood, eel meat has quite high nutritional value:

According to the Food Composition Table of the National Institute of Nutrition, every 100 grams of eel meat contains: 18.7 grams of protein, 0.9 grams of fat, 150 mg of Phosphorus, 39 mg of Calcium, 1.6 mg of Iron, vitamins A, D, vitamins B1, B2, B6 and PP...

Eastern people also call eel "Thien Ngu" (good fish), Truong Ngu, Hoang Dan, Hoang Thien, Hai Xa, Dan Ngu... and consider eel as one of the "Four Great Water Delicacies" (Four Delicious Dishes Underwater). According to Oriental Medicine, eel meat is warm and nourishing to the spleen and stomach. Main functions: replenishing damage, dispelling wind and dampness, strengthening tendons and bones. Eel is used as an ingredient to make many "functional foods", supporting the treatment of many diseases such as: Children with anorexia and exhaustion, Blood and Qi deficiency after serious illness, childbirth..., Nourishing the spleen, liver and gallbladder, clearing heat and removing dampness..., Nourishing the nerves, supporting the brain...

The Japanese honor eel so much that they call it "underwater ginseng" because eel meat has a lot of vitamin A, up to 5,000 IU/100g of eel compared to 40 IU/100g of beef. Eel meat also has a lot of DHA so eel is often used to prepare dishes for Sumo wrestlers and boxers.

Food safety precautions

Infection, parasite

Like soft-shell turtles and frogs, eels often hide in muddy ponds, swamps, and murky water... Because they live in such a dirty environment, and have a polyphagous diet, the digestive system and even the meat of eels can be infected with bacteria and parasites; there have been patients who have been infected with this type of parasite after eating undercooked stir-fried eels...

According to research by Professor Tran Vinh Hien, Scientific Advisor of Ho Chi Minh City Tropical Hospital, both farmed and wild eels have a rate of infection with Gnathostoma spinerum larvae ranging from 0.8 to 29.6%, with a low rate in the dry season and increasing gradually in the rainy season.

Three things to note about this parasite: one is that when in the eel it is only about 1mm in size, but when it enters the human body it grows to 5-7mm, two is that when it enters the human body this parasite moves around, can parasitize the skin, lymph nodes, eyes... and even in the brain and three is that Gnathostoma spinerum larvae are very tenacious, able to withstand high temperatures.

Professor Tran Thi Kim Dung, Department of Parasitology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, also warned that the infection rate of Gnathostoma spinerum larvae is quite high in people who have the habit of eating undercooked foods such as “rare stir-fried eel”, “eel salad”…. Some other parasites that can be found in eels are Anguilliticoloides crasus, Anguilla rostrata, Anguilla japonica…

Toxic contamination

It should also be noted that, because eel meat is rich in protein, especially the amino acid histidine, which is an “essential” amino acid for children. Normally, histidine is very good for the body, but when the eel dies, this amino acid will transform into histamine, a toxic substance that causes allergic reactions that are harmful to humans.

Currently, there is a growing concern about eel meat “containing” contraceptives. It is said that some breeders, for profit, have added contraceptives, containing the female hormone estrogen, to the eel’s food and environment to help the eels gain weight and look beautiful.

In short, eel is a common, familiar and very good food, very nutritious for the body. When processing, you need to pay attention to two things: one is to cook it thoroughly to completely eliminate the "heat-resistant" parasites that are quite abundant in eel meat and two is not to use eel meat that is dead or rotten, or eel meat suspected of containing toxic substances such as growth hormones, other harmful preservatives.

According to dantri.com.vn