Yin yang fish (; also called ''dead-and-alive fish'') is a Taiwanese dish where a live
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
is
fried whole. The dish originates from Chiayi, Taiwan.
Preparation
Yin yang fish is prepared by wrapping the head of a scaled fish (usually
carp
The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...
) in ice cubes and then oil-frying it whole. The fish is then covered in sauce and served on a plate where its head continues to twitch even after its body has been cooked (likely due to remnant electrical impulses after death).
[(Traditional Chinese) ]
Controversy
In 2007, a
Taiwanese restaurant owner sparked outrage when he began serving the dish in his restaurant in
Chiayi
Chiayi (,), officially known as Chiayi City, is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in Chianan Plain in Regions of Taiwan, southwestern Taiwan, surrounded by Chiayi County with a population of 263,188 inhabitants as of January 2023.
The H ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, with a city official and members of the public criticizing the cruelty of the dish. Following public outcry, the dish was subsequently removed from the menu and banned in Taiwan.
A video of a dish in 2009 was condemned by the
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals calling a video showcasing it as "disgusting".
A video posted on
TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
in March 2020 had been viewed three million times as of May 2021.
See also
*
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or Injury, harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...
*
Eating live seafood
*''
Odorigui'',
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...
where the consumption of live seafood while it is still moving
*''
Ikizukuri'', live fish served as sashimi in
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...
References
Taiwanese meat dishes
Fish dishes
Dishes involving the consumption of live animals
Animal welfare
Deep fried foods
{{taiwan-cuisine-stub