Hilsa

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Hilsa

Hilsa

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Clupeiformes
Family:	Clupeidae
Genus:	Tenualosa
Species:	T. ilisha

Binomial name

Tenualosa ilisha

Hilsa (Bangla: ইলিশ Ilish) is the national fish of Bangladesh, also popular in India's Bengali- and Oriya-speaking regions. It is an economically important tropical fish.

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, and Jamuna (lower Brahmaputra). Those from the Padma are considered to be the best in taste. In India, the rivers Rupnarayan (known as Kolaghater Ilish) and Ganga (Ganges) 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*[1] and insulin level*[2].

In Bangladesh, hilsa can be smoked, fried, steamed, baked in young plantain leaves, prepared with mustard seed, curd, brinjal (eggplant), green banana, 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. But for the Bengalis it is almost impossible to cook Hilsa without mustard oil.

Hilsa is not just a fish to the Bengalis. It is a part of their culture. In many Bengali Hindu families two Hilsa fishes (JODA ILISH) are bought on special auspicious days, like some pujas. It is considered auspicious to buy two Hilsa 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 Puja (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 in India after the Partition of India. Some of them give Hilsa fish as an offering to the goddess Lakshmi, without which the Puja is thought to be incomplete. Hilsa is an important source of foreign exchange for Bangladesh. They export it to the European countries and USA. In Europe, Hilsa is available at the Bangladeshi grocery stores.

Hilsa 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 anymore.

In North America (where Hilsa is not always readily available) the shad fish is sometimes used as a Hilsa substitute, especially in Bengali cuisine. This typcially 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 fishes.