Bombay duck
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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Bombay duck | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Actinopterygii | ordo = Aulopiformes | familia = Synodontidae | genus = Harpadon | species = H. nehereus | binomial = Harpadon nehereus | binomial_authority = (Hamilton, 1822) }} The Bombay duck or bummalo (Harpadon nehereus, Bengali: bamaloh, Gujarati: bumla, Marathi: bombil) is, despite its name, a lizardfish. It is native to the waters between Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Kutch in the Arabian Sea, and a small number are also found in the Bay of Bengal. The fish is often dried and salted before it is consumed. After drying, the odour of the fish is extremely powerful, and it must consequently be transported in air-tight containers.
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Etymology
The origin of the term "Bombay duck" is uncertain. Some authors advance the theory that, during the British Raj, the fish was often transported by rail after drying. The story goes that the train compartments of the Bombay Dak (in English, the Bombay Mail) would smell of the fish, consequently leading the British to euphemistically refer to the peculiar smell as the "Bombay Dak". A variant of the story is that, though the fish weren't transported on the train, it smelt strongly because of the rotting railway sleepers over which it travelled, and this was thought to resemble the smell of the drying fish. In either case, this was supposedly corrupted into "Bombay duck", although the likelihood of this origin is questionable.
Others theorise that the Bombay duck was named in humorous tribute to another salted, dried fish: the Digby Chick.
In cuisine
Despite the rather unpleasant odour of the fish, it is often considered to be a delicacy by connoisseurs of Indian cuisine. If freshly caught, it is sometimes eaten fried in a batter; and in its dried form, it is commonly eaten in a curry. It is also prepared as a pickle. The bones of the fish are soft and easily chewable.
In cricket
Bombay duck is also the nickname for the Indian cricket player Ajit Agarkar, after scoring seven consecutive test ducks against Australia.
European Union restrictions on imports
The importing of Bombay duck was banned by the European Union in 1997, as concerns over its satisfaction of food safety regulations were advanced by senior health officials. However, after a vocal campaign by advocates of the fish, the European Union amended the regulations to permit imports of Bombay duck, provided that it is packaged according to certified standards. According to the BBC, consumption in the United Kingdom prior to the ban was over 13 tonnes per year.
In religion
According to Hindu mythology, the Bombay duck was the only marine animal that did not help Rama in the building of the bridge between India and Sri Lanka. As a consequence, its bones were mashed to a pulp and the fish condemned.