UpdateBot at 06:53, 20 May 2022

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{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Bombay duck
| image = Harpadon nehereus (by Hamid Badar Osmany).jpg
| genus = Harpadon
| species = nehereus
| authority = ([[Francis Buchanan-Hamilton|F. Hamilton]], 1822)
}}

'''''Harpadon nehereus''''', called the '''Bombay duck''', '''bummalo''', '''bombil, bombili''' and '''boomla''' is a species of [[lizardfish]]. Adults may reach a maximum length of {{cvt|40|cm}}, but the usual size is around {{cvt|25|cm|in|0}}.<ref>[http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=260&AT=bombay+duck FishBase - ''Harpadon nehereus'']</ref>

==Etymology==
[[File:Harpodon_nehereus_Griesbach_118.jpg|thumb|Illustration]]

The origin of the term "Bombay duck" is uncertain. A popular [[false etymology]] claims that the overpowering smell of the dried fish when transported by mail train (the Bombay ''Daak'') led to the phrase "You smell like the Bombay Daak" in the days of the [[British Raj]]. However, the phrase is attested as early as 1815, 37 years before the first railroad in Bombay was constructed, making this derivation impossible.<ref>[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/58178#eid6078126 duck, n.1]. ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd ed., 1989; online version December 2011. Accessed 2 February 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-hist.html IR History: Early Days - I]. Indian Railways Fan Club website. Accessed 2 February 2012.</ref>

According to local [[Bangladesh]]i stories,{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} the term Bombay duck was first coined by [[Robert Clive]], after he tasted a piece during his conquest of [[Bengal]]. He is said to have associated the pungent smell with that of the newspapers and mail which would come into the cantonments from Bombay. The term was later popularized among the British public by its appearance in Indian restaurants in the UK.

In his 1829 book of poems and "Indian reminiscences", Sir Toby Rendrag (pseudonym) notes the "use of a fish nick-named 'Bombay Duck'"<ref>Toby Rendrag (sir, pseud.), ''Poems, original, lyrical, and satirical, containing Indian reminiscences of the late sir Toby Rendrag'', Publ. 1829 W. Boyls [https://books.google.com/books?id=FaZtdzxFIu4C&dq=%22bombay%20duck%22&pg=PA26#v=onepage&q=bombay%20duck&f=false page 26]</ref> and the phrase is used in texts as early as 1815.<ref>A. Clark, William Combe, ''Paddy Hew: a poem : from the brain of Timothy Tarpaulin'', Printed for Whittingham and Arliss, 1815, 195 pages, [https://books.google.com/books?id=PwolAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22bombay%20duck%22&pg=PA86#v=onepage&q=%22bombay%20duck%22&f=false page 86]</ref>

==Distribution and fisheries==
The Bombay duck lives in the tropical areas of the [[Indo-Pacific]]. The fish is also known as "strange fish"{{fact|date=May 2019}} because of its discontinuous distribution along the Indian coast. It has been traditionally caught in the waters off [[Maharashtra]], [[Gujarat]] in the [[Lakshadweep Sea]], where it is an important item of the yearly catch. This fish is also caught in the [[Bay of Bengal]] and in the [[South China Sea]], although in smaller numbers.<ref>{{ITIS |id=162425 |taxon=Harpadon nehereus |access-date=18 April 2006}}</ref>

The fish is sometimes dried, as well as dried and salted before it is consumed. After drying, the odour of the fish is extremely powerful, and it is usually transported in air-tight containers. The Bombay duck is a popular food item in certain areas of India particularly In Maharashtra. It is consumed as a dried fish in Sri Lanka, either tempered, fried or cooked as a curry. Fresh fish are usually fried as ''bombay duck fry'', or cooked in ''curry'',.{{fact|date=May 2019}}

== International availability ==
[[File:... drying Bombay Ducks (4292276385).jpg|alt=|thumb|Bombay duck drying in open air]]
[[File:Bombay Duck dried for sale.jpg|thumb|Dried Bombay duck for sale in a fish market, [[Maharashtra]]]]

At one time, 13 tonnes of Bombay duck were eaten in the UK each year. Following the discovery of a batch of imported seafood contaminated by ''[[Salmonella]]'' in 1996, the [[European Commission]] (EC) prohibited fish imports from India other than from approved freezing and canning factories. As Bombay duck is not produced in a factory, this had the unintended consequence of banning the import of Bombay duck. After a campaign to "Save Bombay Duck", the Indian High Commission approached the EC about the ban, and the EC adjusted its regulations so that the fish can still be dried in the open air, but has to be packed in an "EC approved" packing station. A [[Birmingham]] wholesale merchant located a packing source in Mumbai, and the product became available again.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bombay-duck.co.uk/index.html |title=Save Bombay Duck |publisher=Bombay-duck.co.uk |date=2003-12-16 |access-date=2009-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1066998.stm |title=Bombay Duck bounces back |work=BBC News |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=12 December 2000 |access-date=12 October 2017}}</ref>
Bombay duck is available fresh in Canada in cities with large Indian populations, such as Toronto and Montreal, and is generally known as ''bumla''. Although mainly popular with Indians from Bengal, southern Gujarat, coastal Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka, it is increasingly consumed by the other South Asian populations, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis in particular.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Harpadon nehereus|''Harpadon nehereus''}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q311730}}

[[Category:Synodontidae]]
[[Category:fish of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Fish dishes]]
[[Category:Culture of Mumbai]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1822]]

Bombay duck - Revision history

UpdateBot at 06:53, 20 May 2022