Bengali Fish

Hilsa (Bengali: ইিলশ Ilish) is the national fish of Bangladesh, also popular in India's Assamese-, Bengali- Oriya-speaking regions and in Telugu-speaking regions (Telugu: పులస 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. This fish exists and is caught in Narmada and Padma river deltas. The fish in coastal area of Gujarat is known as Modenn if it is female and palva if it is young male. The Hilsa 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 hilsa 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. Hilsa is mainly available in the major Bangladesh rivers of the Padma (lower Ganges), Meghna, Jamuna (lower Brahmaputra), and Godavari. Those from the Padma are considered to be the best in taste. In India, the rivers Rupnarayan (known as Kolaghater Ilish), Ganga (Ganges) and Godavari are famous for their tasty breeds. However, Hilsa 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. Hilsa 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[1] and insulin level.[2]
In Bengal, hilsa can be smoked, fried, steamed, baked in young plantain leaves, prepared with mustard seed paste, curd, brinjal (eggplant), different condiments like jeera and so on. It is said that people can cook hilsa in more than 50 ways. Hilsa roe is also popular as a side dish. Hilsa can be cooked in very little oil since the fish itself is very oily.

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