Hilsa
Encyclopedia
Ilish ( Ilishii), also spelled Elish, is the most popular fish to Bengali
s. Its the national fish of Bangladesh
and extremely popular in parts of India such as West Bengal
, Orissa
, Tripura
, Assam
as well. Ilish also can be found at India
's Assamese
-, Bengali
- Oriya
-speaking regions and in Telugu
-speaking regions ( Pulasa or Polasa) and in Pakistan Sindh (Sindhī
: پلو مڇي Pallu Machhi). In Gujarat it is known as either Modenn or Palva. It is an economically important tropical fish. Each year a large number of fish is caught at Padma
-Meghna-Jamuna delta at Bay of Bengal
. It is a sea fish but it lay eggs in large rivers. After being born the young Ilish (known as Jatka) then swim back to the sea
. That is when they are caught, before they swim to the sea. The fish in coastal area of Gujarat is known as Modenn if it is female and palva if it is young male. The fish is full of tiny bones which require trained eaters/hands to handle.
As it is anadromous in nature (an uncommon phenomenon in tropical waters), the ilish lives in the sea for most of its life, but migrates up to 1,200 km inland through rivers in the Indian sub-continent for spawning. Distances of 50–100 km are usually normal in the Bangladesh rivers. Ilish is mainly available in the major Bangladesh rivers of the Padma (lower Ganges), Meghna lower Brahmaputra), and Godavari. Those from the Padma are considered to be the best in taste. In India, the rivers Rupnarayan
(known as Kolaghat
er Ilish), Ganges, and Godavari are famous for their tasty breeds.
However, Ilish is also caught from the sea. But those caught from the sea are not considered to be so tasty as those caught from the river.
Ilish is also found in the deltaic
region of southern Pakistan
, in the province of Sindh
. Here it is commonly referred to as the Palla fish. The fish was usually found in abundant quantities in the district of Thatta. Recently, however, the lower reaches of the Indus
have dried up as water is stored upstream, and the Palla cannot make its journey into the river any more.
Ilish is an oily fish
rich in essential fatty acids(omega 3 fatty acids). Recent experiments have shown its beneficial effects in decreasing cholesterol level in rats and insulin level.
In Bengal
, ilish can be smoked, fried, steamed, baked in young plantain
leaves, prepared with mustard seed
paste, curd, Begun
(eggplant), different condiments like jira
and so on. It is said that people can cook ilish in more than 50 ways. Ilish roe
is also popular as a side dish. Ilish can be cooked in very little oil since the fish itself is very oily.
In North America (where Ilish is not always readily available) the shad
fish is sometimes used as a Ilish substitute, especially in Bengali cuisine. This typically occurs near the East coast of North America, where fresh shad can be fished. The substitution is possible because of the fairly similar flavour and consistency of these two fish.
(The Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity) which takes place in autumn. But this custom is prevalent mainly among the Hindu Bengalis of former East Bengal (now Bangladesh) many of whom now live in West Bengal, Barak Valley
(Assam
) and Tripura
in India after the Partition of India
. Some of them give Ilish fish as an offering to the goddess Lakshmi, without which the Puja is sometimes thought to be incomplete.
There are also several jokes involving Bangal (those from East Bengal) and Ghotis
(traditionally from West Bengal) where the Bangals love Ilish and the Ghoti love Ching-ri (Prawns).
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
s. Its the national fish of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and extremely popular in parts of India such as West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, Tripura
Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
as well. Ilish also can be found at India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
-, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
- Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
-speaking regions and in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
-speaking regions ( Pulasa or Polasa) and in Pakistan Sindh (Sindhī
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
: پلو مڇي Pallu Machhi). In Gujarat it is known as either Modenn or Palva. It is an economically important tropical fish. Each year a large number of fish is caught at Padma
Padma River
The Padma is a major trans-boundary river in Bangladesh. It is the main distributary of the Ganges , which originates in the Himalayas. The Padma enters Bangladesh from India near Chapai Nababganj...
-Meghna-Jamuna delta at Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
. It is a sea fish but it lay eggs in large rivers. After being born the young Ilish (known as Jatka) then swim back to the sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
. That is when they are caught, before they swim to the sea. The fish in coastal area of Gujarat is known as Modenn if it is female and palva if it is young male. The fish is full of tiny bones which require trained eaters/hands to handle.
As it is anadromous in nature (an uncommon phenomenon in tropical waters), the ilish lives in the sea for most of its life, but migrates up to 1,200 km inland through rivers in the Indian sub-continent for spawning. Distances of 50–100 km are usually normal in the Bangladesh rivers. Ilish is mainly available in the major Bangladesh rivers of the Padma (lower Ganges), Meghna lower Brahmaputra), and Godavari. Those from the Padma are considered to be the best in taste. In India, the rivers Rupnarayan
Rupnarayan River
The Rupnarayan River is a river in India. It begins as the Dhaleswari in the Chhota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of the town of Purulia. It then follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the town of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarakeswar river. Near the town of Ghatal it is...
(known as Kolaghat
Kolaghat
Kolaghat is a census town situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan River in the Midnapore East district of West Bengal. It is located in the Panskura–II community development block of the Tamluk subdivision. It is also the headquarters of the Panskura–II CD block...
er Ilish), Ganges, and Godavari are famous for their tasty breeds.
However, Ilish is also caught from the sea. But those caught from the sea are not considered to be so tasty as those caught from the river.
Ilish is also found in the deltaic
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
region of southern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, in the province of Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
. Here it is commonly referred to as the Palla fish. The fish was usually found in abundant quantities in the district of Thatta. Recently, however, the lower reaches of the Indus
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
have dried up as water is stored upstream, and the Palla cannot make its journey into the river any more.
As food
Oily fish
Oily fish have oil in their tissues and in the belly cavity around the gut. Their fillets contain up to 30 percent oil, although this figure varies both within and between species...
rich in essential fatty acids(omega 3 fatty acids). Recent experiments have shown its beneficial effects in decreasing cholesterol level in rats and insulin level.
In Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, ilish can be smoked, fried, steamed, baked in young plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
leaves, prepared with mustard seed
Mustard seed
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional foods. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown...
paste, curd, Begun
Aubergine
The eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal or guinea squash is a plant of the family Solanaceae and genus Solanum. It bears a fruit of the same name, commonly used in cooking...
(eggplant), different condiments like jira
Cumin
Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...
and so on. It is said that people can cook ilish in more than 50 ways. Ilish roe
Roe
Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
is also popular as a side dish. Ilish can be cooked in very little oil since the fish itself is very oily.
In North America (where Ilish is not always readily available) the shad
Shad
The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fish related to herring in the family Clupeidae. They are distinct from others in that family by having a deeper body and spawning in rivers. The several species frequent different areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea....
fish is sometimes used as a Ilish substitute, especially in Bengali cuisine. This typically occurs near the East coast of North America, where fresh shad can be fished. The substitution is possible because of the fairly similar flavour and consistency of these two fish.
Ilish in culture
In many Hindu Bengali families two Ilish fishes (Joda Ilish) are bought on special auspicious days, like some pujas. It is considered auspicious to buy two Ilish fishes on the day of Saraswati Puja (The Goddess of Learning and Beauty), which takes place in the beginning of Spring and also on the day of Lakshmi PujaLakshmi Puja
Lakshmi puja is performed during Diwali, the festival of lights. According to tradition people would put small oil lamps outside their homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them....
(The Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity) which takes place in autumn. But this custom is prevalent mainly among the Hindu Bengalis of former East Bengal (now Bangladesh) many of whom now live in West Bengal, Barak Valley
Barak Valley
Barak Valley is situated in the southern part of the Indian state of Assam.It's another name is East Bengal or Northeast Bengal The main city of the valley is Silchar. The place is named after the Barak river. Barak valley mainly consists of three districts namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi...
(Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
) and Tripura
Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
in India after the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. Some of them give Ilish fish as an offering to the goddess Lakshmi, without which the Puja is sometimes thought to be incomplete.
There are also several jokes involving Bangal (those from East Bengal) and Ghotis
Ghotis
Ghotis , also called Paschimbangiyas or Edeshis , are a social group native to West Bengal , India. Their dialects, folk traditions and cuisine are distinct from those of the Purbabangiyas or the natives of erstwhile eastern Bengal.The term came into greater use after many people from Bangladesh...
(traditionally from West Bengal) where the Bangals love Ilish and the Ghoti love Ching-ri (Prawns).