Nowadays, many people are health conscious. The other day, I went to see a beautiful friend who is very health conscious, very concerned about her skin, her looks and her health. She requested me to help look for and find out more about a fish which has very good content of omega-3 which is an important essential fatty acid.
According to her description, the fish known to her as ikan bandeng is about one foot long,lives at the estuaries and feed on grass. I think the grass is actually water weeds.
As a person who is also interested in health, I went to the Sungai Petani main market early the next morning. I took a walk among the fish stalls behind the market where the wholesalers sell whatever fish that was left after the distribution. There, I saw what looked very much like ikan bandeng but was told that the fish was ikan pisang. Could ikan pisang be ikan bandeng? The people there claimed they have never heard of ikan bandeng or ikan banding.
Next, I went into the market proper and there I was told that they have heard about the fish which is usually sold by the Malays. Apparently, it is not a popular fish among the local people and so the fishmongers seldom sell such a fish.
My son who was with me wondered why the lady friend would want a fish which feeds on water weeds at the estuaries of rivers. According to him, toxic wastes from factories go into our rivers and such a fish could be consuming hugh quantities of such waste.
He has a point there but then, could the plants consumed by the fish detoxify the waste? What about the antioxidants in the weeds? Looks like there is a need to do some research here. You see, the more we know, the more we have to learn or confirm.
Then again, perhaps we need not worry too much as this milkfish is being extensively cultured in brackish waterponds. The system is almost organic since it has no teeth and feeds on naturally grown algae and planton with hardly any supplementary feeding.
Anyway, this fish has a number of names as it is found in many countries, especially in South East Asia. The scientific name is Chanos chanos and the common name is milkfish. In the Phillipines it has numerous other names, one of which is bangus. Other names of the same fish are ikan bendeng, salmon herring, pisang-pisang (Is it the same as ikan pisang?)and jangas.
The young fry starts life at sea for two to three weeks. They then move to mangrove swamps and estuaries before returning to the sea to mature sexually and reproduce. The matured fish can reach a length of one metre or more.
The fry are collected from rivers and raised in ponds where they grow very quickly and are then sold either fresh, frozen, canned, or smoked.
According to www.cebubusinesswebportal.com/index.php?option=com., it can be considered a health food as it is a good source of protein, vitamins
and minerals. Furthermore, its protein content is as good as meat and chicken. Furthermore, it is easier to digest. Unlike meat and chicken, the cholestrol content is very low. Even more important is the fact that milkfish livers contain large quantities of omega-3 fatty acids with the benefits of protecting against cardiovascular diseases, is a potent anti-thrombotic factor (prevent the formation of clots which obstruct the flow of blood in the body), prevent atherosclerosis (a condition in which the artery walls thicken or harden as a result of fatty materials)and is important to visual function and the brain.
So, here is a cheap health food for everyone. You do not even have to pay 'organic food' price for it!
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