Maldive fish
Encyclopedia
Maldive fish is cured tuna
fish traditionally produced in Maldives. It is a staple of the Maldivian cuisine
, as well as of the Sri Lanka
n cuisine, and in the past it was one of the main exports from Maldives to Sri Lanka
, where it is known as umbalakaḍa.
The abundant sea harvest of the Indian Ocean
around the Atolls of the Maldives
yields many pelagic fish
es, like skipjack, yellowfin tuna
, little tunny
(known locally as laṭṭi) and frigate mackerel. All these fishes have been traditionally processed on the Maldive Islands as a main source of food as well as income for Maldivians.
On a good night, given a large shoal of bonito, the fishermen, using simple bamboo
poles, catch about 600–1,000 fish in two to three hours, an average of one a minute.
Next these pieces of tuna are processed by means of boiling, smoking and sun-drying until they acquire a wood-like appearance.
Being dried in this manner, the fish can be kept indefinitely without refrigeration
. This was important in the past, when there was no other way to preserve and store the fish.
Similar methods are used in Japan for drying bonito into katsuobushi
.
Defective pieces were pounded with a huge mortar and pestle (a standard piece of local kitchen equipment) until it was powdered into fine splinters. The resulting product was traditionally used in Maldivian cuisine
to flavour local dishes.
This powdered tuna is packed nowadays in small plastic packets, already pounded or crushed. Maldive fish is used in a number of Sri Lankan dishes, sometimes retaining its strong flavor as the main ingredient, like in Seeni Sambal, which keeps indefinitely stored in an airtight jar.
The process of making Maldive fish produces a by-product called Rihaakuru
. This is made of the stock remnant after the boiling of fish.
Many Sri Lankan dishes, especially vegetable curries
, include Maldive fish, which acts as a thickening, flavouring and protein component. In other dishes it is used in such small quantities that the flavor is undetectable, adding a certain character to the food. Maldive fish is the Sri Lankan answer to the shrimp pastes and fish sauces of South East Asia.
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
fish traditionally produced in Maldives. It is a staple of the Maldivian cuisine
Maldivian cuisine
Traditional Maldivian cuisine is based on the following three main items and their derivatives:-Coconuts:The coconut is used in the grated form, squeezed to obtain coconut milk, or as coconut oil in dishes that are deep-fried. Hunigondi is the traditional Maldivian implement used to grate the...
, as well as of the Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n cuisine, and in the past it was one of the main exports from Maldives to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, where it is known as umbalakaḍa.
The abundant sea harvest of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
around the Atolls of the Maldives
Atolls of the Maldives
The Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus atolls in the form of a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10' North to 0 degrees 45' South....
yields many pelagic fish
Pelagic fish
Pelagic fish live near the surface or in the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake. They can be contrasted with demersal fish, which do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish which are associated with coral reefs.The marine pelagic...
es, like skipjack, yellowfin tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
, little tunny
Little tunny
The little tunny is the most common tuna in the Atlantic Ocean. It is found in warm temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean; in the western Atlantic, it ranges from Brazil to the New England states. It is found regularly in offshore and inshore waters, and is...
(known locally as laṭṭi) and frigate mackerel. All these fishes have been traditionally processed on the Maldive Islands as a main source of food as well as income for Maldivians.
On a good night, given a large shoal of bonito, the fishermen, using simple bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
poles, catch about 600–1,000 fish in two to three hours, an average of one a minute.
Processing method
Every fish is gutted, skinned and cut following a traditional pattern. The gills and some of the innards are thrown away. The head and backbone are removed, and the belly piece is separated. Then the fish is divided into four longitudinal pieces called ari. These long pieces can be cut into smaller sections (foti) in case of large yellowfin tunas.Next these pieces of tuna are processed by means of boiling, smoking and sun-drying until they acquire a wood-like appearance.
Being dried in this manner, the fish can be kept indefinitely without refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
. This was important in the past, when there was no other way to preserve and store the fish.
Similar methods are used in Japan for drying bonito into katsuobushi
Katsuobushi
is the Japanese name for dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna .Shaved Katsuobushi and dried kelp - kombu - are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups and sauces in Japanese cuisine.Katsuobushi's distinct umami flavor comes from its high...
.
Derived products
Historically, Maldive fish used to be sold in the piece (ari) - a long fillet as hard as a block of wood.Defective pieces were pounded with a huge mortar and pestle (a standard piece of local kitchen equipment) until it was powdered into fine splinters. The resulting product was traditionally used in Maldivian cuisine
Maldivian cuisine
Traditional Maldivian cuisine is based on the following three main items and their derivatives:-Coconuts:The coconut is used in the grated form, squeezed to obtain coconut milk, or as coconut oil in dishes that are deep-fried. Hunigondi is the traditional Maldivian implement used to grate the...
to flavour local dishes.
This powdered tuna is packed nowadays in small plastic packets, already pounded or crushed. Maldive fish is used in a number of Sri Lankan dishes, sometimes retaining its strong flavor as the main ingredient, like in Seeni Sambal, which keeps indefinitely stored in an airtight jar.
The process of making Maldive fish produces a by-product called Rihaakuru
Rihaakuru
Rihaakuru is a fish-based thick paste. The color varies from light brown to dark brown. It is a traditional dish of Maldivian cuisine, consumed almost daily in every household in Maldives and in Minicoy since ancient times...
. This is made of the stock remnant after the boiling of fish.
Many Sri Lankan dishes, especially vegetable curries
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
, include Maldive fish, which acts as a thickening, flavouring and protein component. In other dishes it is used in such small quantities that the flavor is undetectable, adding a certain character to the food. Maldive fish is the Sri Lankan answer to the shrimp pastes and fish sauces of South East Asia.