Hilsa (Bangla: ইলিশ Ilish) is the national fish of Bangladesh, also popular in India's Bengali- and Oriya-speaking regions. It is an economically important tropical fish.

As it is anadromous in nature (an uncommon phenomenon in tropical waters), the hilsa lives in the sea for most of its life, but migrates up to 1,200 km inland through rivers in the Indian sub-continent for spawning. Distances of 50-100 km are usually normal in the Bangladesh rivers. Hilsa is mainly available in the major Bangladesh rivers of the Padma (lower Ganges), Meghna, and Jamuna (lower Brahmaputra). Those from the Padma are considered to be the best in taste. In India, the rivers Rupnarayan (known as Kolaghater Ilish) and Ganga (Ganges) are famous for their tasty breeds.

In Bangladesh, hilsa can be smoked, fried, steamed, baked in young plantain leaves, prepared with mustard, curd, brinjal, green banana, and so on. It is said that people can cook hilsa in more than 50 ways. Hilsa roe is also popular as a side dish.

Hilsa is also found in the deltaic region of southern Pakistan, in the province of Sindh. Here it is commonly referred to as the Palla fish. The fish was usually found in abundant quantities in the district of Thatta. Recently, however, the lower reaches of the Indus have dried up as water is stored upstream, and the Palla cannot make its journey into the river anymore.

References

See also

• Oily fish

External links

• Ilish
• Hilsa shad
• More details

Clupeidae | Bengali cuisine | ইলিশ | National symbols of Bangladesh