So… when is duck not duck?

It could be a fish if you live in Mumbai!

I first had ‘Bombay Duck‘ in New York when visiting a Parsi friend from Mumbai. It was masala dried – stinky, chewy, very different but also quite good.

Then I moved to Bombay and discovered fresh bombil, deep-fried is beyond yum! If ever asked what goes superbly with a chilled beer? The answer is ‘Bombil Fry‘ aka ‘Bombay Duck.’

When a duck ain’t a duck

Bombil  is actually a lizardfish… uh yeah… this duck is now actually a lizard? What is it with the misleading names and this fish?

It is rather popular with folks from Maharashtra… and the dried form is privately ‘smuggled’ across borders – hence my tasting contraband ‘Bombay Duck’ in New York back in the early 90s.

Any food in your ‘hood’ with a misleading name?

I’ve also come across :

• 水煮鱼 aka Shanghai “water boiled fish” that is actually drowning in oil!
• Or “prairie oysters” that are… ahem… fried baby bull balls

Other Sunday Snaps:

• Introducing Sunday Snaps
• “Its the coconut man!” in Delhi
• “What the heck?” in Mumbai
• “This table is reserved!” in Singapore