Let’s explore another delicacy primarily known to Tainan locals: floating milkfish in thick soup. Despite its peculiar name, this dish is another Tainan specialty that showcases the popularity of milkfish, which is made into fish paste and served in thick soup. Unlike the version with tutuo fish, which also adds other ingredients to its thick soup, the floating milkfish version primarily features the “floating fish” itself in its thick soup, ensuring that the fish paste remains the star of the dish.
讓我們來探索另一道台南人熟悉的美食：浮水魚羹。這道菜名奇特的美食，再再展現了台南虱目魚料理的多樣。浮水魚羹是用虱目魚漿做成的羹品，雖然和𩵚魠魚羹一樣是羹湯，但不像𩵚魠魚羹會在湯中加入其他食材，而是讓虱目魚漿成為這道料理的主角。
peculiar (adj.) 獨特的；古怪的
Photo: Bookman l 圖片:書林
The belly of a milkfish is considered the most tender and delicious part. On the other hand, the loin is often minced to make a fish paste and shaped into strips or chunks due to its tough texture. It’s called “floating fish soup” because when boiled, the fish paste will float to the surface when it is cooked. While most floating milkfish soup only contains milkfish paste, the renowned Ah Feng restaurant in Tainan takes it further by wrapping milkfish meat with the fish paste. This preparation combines the tender texture of milkfish with the bouncy and chewy fish paste, creating an unforgettable taste for many Tainan locals.
一般人吃虱目魚多是吃最肥美的虱目魚肚，但虱目魚的背部不如腹部軟嫩，口感偏硬，於是人們想到將魚背肉絞碎，做成條狀或塊狀的魚漿，煮熟的魚漿會漂浮在水面，所以稱做「浮水魚羹」。一般的浮水魚羹大多只有虱目魚漿，但台南的老店阿鳳浮水虱目魚羹，還會將虱目魚肉包入魚漿中，魚肉軟嫩，魚漿Q彈，兩種口感的結合，是許多台南人念念不忘的好滋味。
loin (n.) （動物的）脊背肉，腰肉
strip (n.) 長條，細長片
It is interesting to explore the reasons behind the popularity of milkfish dishes in Tainan. The story of Zheng Chenggong and the milkfish provides one possible explanation. However, historical records indicate that milkfish farming has been a part of Tainan’s agricultural industry since the Dutch colonial rule period. Tainan’s warm climate is ideal for milkfish farming, making it a significant regional industry that has endured for centuries. It is common to find milkfish dishes in Tainan, and the association is so strong that even restaurants outside of Tainan often use the name “Tainan milkfish” to emphasize its connection with the city. As a result, it’s not surprising that in Tainan, they have developed this fish dish where you enjoy the taste of milkfish, but without actually seeing the fish itself, as it is already made into a fish paste.
說到台南為何有這麼多虱目魚料理，你或許會想到的鄭成功與虱目魚的故事，不過根據文獻記載，台南自荷治時期就有養殖虱目魚的紀錄。台南的氣候溫暖，適合養殖虱目魚，是數世紀來重要的養殖產業，因而有許多虱目魚料理，甚至許多其他縣市的餐廳，也會以「台南虱目魚」做為店名，會有「吃魚但不見魚」的浮水魚羹誕生，也就不奇怪了。
farming (n.) 養殖業；畜牧業；耕種；飼養
significant (adj.) 重要的；顯著的
文章由書林出版公司提供：
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