Raw fish---the Local Delicacy of Hezhen Ethnic Group

Traditional Raw Fish Eating Habits

The Hezhe people (赫哲族) have preserved a long-standing traditional custom of eating raw fish. They have formed exquisite and unique ways of consuming various fresh fish ingredients raw, including fish skin, fish roe, fresh fish flesh and fish soft bones. Among all raw fish delicacies, “raw fish with greens” (野菜生鱼) is the most renowned and popular traditional dish, which best represents the Hezhe people’s distinctive fishing diet culture.
Local residents prefer freshly sliced raw fish flesh seasoned with natural wild condiments such as wild ginger, shallots, chili peppers, vinegar and salt to create a fresh and appetizing flavor. In the absence of vinegar, they use natural chokeberry juice as a substitute seasoning. This unique collocation delivers a refreshing and delicious taste that has been loved by local people for generations.

Folk Legend of Raw Fish with Greens

Folk legends record that the classic dish of raw fish with greens was created and passed down by a clever Hezhe woman in ancient times. Long ago, there lived a newly married and intelligent daughter-in-law who was skilled in all kinds of housework and cooking. One day, her father-in-law put forward a tricky cooking challenge: to make a fish dish that looked raw on the surface but was fully processed and edible inside.
To solve this problem, the resourceful young woman selected two fresh carps. She skillfully sliced the fresh fish flesh into thin pieces and placed them in a birch basin filled with vinegar. Meanwhile, she roasted the complete fish skin over an open fire. After thorough roasting, the fish scales were easily shaken off, and the fish skin turned slightly charred, crispy and fragrant. She then sliced the roasted crispy fish skin and mixed it together with the pickled fish flesh, adding various seasonings and stirring evenly to finish the dish.
After tasting the unique delicacy, her father-in-law was full of praise for her extraordinary cooking skills. Since then, this ingenious fish cooking method has been widely learned and passed down among Hezhe families, gradually becoming a classic ethnic specialty.
With the evolution of dietary habits, the ingredients and seasonings of traditional raw fish with greens have become richer and more diverse in modern times. In addition to fresh fish slices, people add fresh vegetable ingredients such as cucumber slices, cabbage, spinach and shredded potatoes. The condiments are also updated to include monosodium glutamate, wild ginger, refined salt, chili oil, shallots and garlic. The finished dish features an attractive color, inviting aroma and crisp refreshing taste. Hezhe fishermen often enjoy this delicacy with wine after fishing. Overwhelmed with joy and relaxation, they often sing folk songs spontaneously, forming a lively and warm fishing village scene.

Other Classic Hezhe Fish Delicacies

Frozen Fish Slices

Frozen fish slices (冻鱼刨花), commonly referred to as “parings” by Han people, is a unique winter specialty of the Hezhe people. This dish is exclusively made in cold winter seasons. Local artisans peel off the skin of naturally frozen fresh fish and slice the firm frozen flesh into thin flake-shaped pieces, just like planing wood shavings. The delicate frozen fish slices are dipped in assorted seasonings before eating, maintaining an extremely fresh and smooth taste.

Raw Caviar

Raw caviar (生鱼籽) is a high-nutrition traditional delicacy favored by the Hezhe people. It adopts two kinds of premium wild fish roe as the main ingredients: soybean-sized jacinth crystalline salmon roe and grain-sized green-black roe from Huso dauricus (达氏鳇). The fresh caviar is seasoned with salt, vinegar, ginger, garlic, chili peppers and caraway. After simple mixing and pickling, it can be served directly, retaining the original rich nutrition and fresh seafood flavor.

Dried Fish Products

Apart from raw fish dishes, the Hezhe people have also developed diverse dried fish processing techniques to preserve aquatic ingredients. Representative traditional dried fish delicacies include dried fish strips, whole dried fish trunks and fluffy dried fish floss. These well-preserved fish products form a complete system of Hezhe fishing diet culture, fully reflecting the ethnic group’s profound life wisdom of making full use of natural aquatic resources.