Asian Insider Podcast

The mystery of Chongqing grilled fish’s origin story - and why it matters

In this episode, we talk about kaoyu (grilled fish) and the dispute over the dish's "true origin" between two regions in Chongqing.

ST GRAPHIC: FA'IZAH SANI

Li Xueying

Kaoyu, a popular Chongqing grilled fish speciality made with freshwater fish and mala spices, is now famous across China and beyond.
Kaoyu's commercial success sparked an origin dispute between Chongqing's Wanzhou and Wushan regions over the dish's true hometown.
Government efforts include industry standards and culinary schools to preserve Kaoyu's authenticity amidst complex origin disputes across China.

AI generated

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they’re based in.

Disputes over where popular dishes originated are common across Asia. The world-famous butter chicken is fought over by two restaurants - one that started out in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, and one in New Delhi, India. In Southeast Asia, neighbours Singapore and Malaysia have also tussled over chicken rice.

It is little wonder that China, given its geographic scale and the incredible richness of its regional cuisines, has its own internal food feuds.

Kaoyu, or grilled fish, is a regional speciality of Chongqing, made with freshwater fish from the Yangtze River and spices such as mala peppercorns and Chinese chillies.

The dish’s commercial success, both inside and outside of China, has raised questions about its true origin story, with two regions in Chongqing, Wanzhou and Wushan, laying claim to it.

In this episode, host Li Xueying asks Chongqing-based correspondent Aw Cheng Wei to share his journey in tracking down where kaoyu came from, and to get to the heart of why food is so important to the Chinese.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:23 How Chongqing’s cuisine reflects its local environment and culture

4:39 Popularity of the kaoyu dish across China

5:59 Beginning of the dispute over the dish’s origin

8:46 Government efforts to preserve authenticity through industry standards and culinary schools

10:31 The complexities of culinary origin disputes across China and beyond

13:40 China’s attitude towards food

15:42 Food’s power to connect and what it means for China

Read Aw Cheng Wei’s article here: https://str.sg/6y3x

Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR

Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x

Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg)