Taihu whitebait: a little bit more than75px in length, tall and roundish, looks like a jade, bones and intestines notquite visible, tender and transparent, silver color, therefore named whitebait.Taihu lake abounds in whitebait ever since the Spring and Autumn Dynasty. Thefamous verse of a Song dynasty poet: ¡° Spring brings whitebaits and frostbrings perches¡± lists whitebait and perch as two types of high-end fish. Duringthe Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty, whitebait was among articles of tributeoffered to the emperor. Whitebait was originally a sea fish, only later did itmigrate to multiply in the Taihu Lake, and is a precious local specialty ofTaihu Lake. Whitebait has tender meat, is nutritious, and has no scale, no boneand does not smell fishy. It is an ingredient for various delicacies, and isbeing loved all over the world. Whitebait is a traditional commodity of foreigntrade in Jiangsu Province, frozen whitebait with Taihu brand name is renownedinternationally. In Japan, whitebait is an ingredient along with herring roe,paste of sea urchin and other flavorings for preparing gourmet dishes. Driedwhitebait last a long time, with color, aroma and taste unchanged. Soak thedried whitebait in water, the seemingly boneless fish tastes as good as itsfresh counterpart for preparing various gourmet food. In the 80s, Taihuwhitebait was transported to Dianchi and the West Lake to multiply, and is nowa specialty food in the respective localities.

Taihu whitefish: also called ¡®minnow¡¯,it is named for the uptick of both its head and tail. It is slim and flat, withtender bones and minuscule scales, a shining silver color, and is an economiccarnivorous fish product. It is not yet farmed, and the product comes mainlyfrom catching in nature. Whitefish has tender meat, rich squamous fat. Itresembles reeves shad, and is a renowned fish product of Taihu Lake. The¡®Chronicle of Wu County¡¯ so writes: ¡°Whitefish from Taihu Lake is superior toother types. Farmers catch them for paying tribute to the emperor in Luoyang¡±,showing that it was listed as an article of tribute for paying to the emperorat that time. Whitefish mostly lives in the open water of the Taihu Lake, andlives on small fish and shrimps. It multiplies within Taihu Lake, and iscatchable all year round, with highest catching volume in June and July of thespawning season. ¡®Chronicle of Wu County¡¯ writes: ¡°Wu people call the first dayof Grain in Ear as entering Mei, and 15 days from Mei as Shi. Whitefish is mostabundant at that time, and so is called ¡®white in Shi¡¯¡±. After the Liberationof China, whitefish resources are regulated, catching in the spawning season isprohibited, and that ensures flourishing of whitefish.

Taihu white shrimp: ¡®TaihuInvestigation¡¯ in the Qing Dynasty writes: ¡°Taihu shrimp is the first class inthe world, it turns white when it is mature¡±. White shrimp has thin shell,tender meat, is very delicious, and every one loves it. The liquor preservedwhite shrimp can still bounce and jump even after being served up on table. Ittastes so delicious and tender when placed inside the mouth. White shrimp has ahigh percentage of meat, and is suitable for being processed into dried shrimp.It is called ¡®Hukai¡¯ when being skinned. It can also serve as drug ingredient,and functions as protecting internal organs and detoxicating. Drinking a bowlof white shrimp soup after alcohol drinking will smooth up your stomach andmake you fill wonderful.