The world's largest producer of gold and diamonds
It has three capitals at the same time
Cape of Good Hope, Mandela, Apartheid, Woozura
......
Geographically, South Africa is far from us
But it is also a country that makes us have countless associations
Surrounded by 3,000 kilometers of coastline, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, adjacent to the South Pole, the unique geographical location has brought More marine resources to South Africa than their gold diamonds. Two ocean currents meet at Cape Aurgares, and the pure waters and abundant nutrients make south African waters a haven for marine life.
A sketch of the world's seafood
Discover the best of South Africa's seafood
ONE
Talent is complete, and the power is infinite
Peacock abalone
Abalone, although it is an outstanding representative of nutrition and deliciousness, but no one should think it looks good, right?
And when you've seen South African abalone, you may be amazed: it turns out that abalone can also combine "talent" and "beauty".
South African abalone, is a rare species unique to South African waters, the locals call it Perlemoen ("Mother of Pearl"), will eat delicious Chinese food, after seeing it for the first time, give it a more vivid name - peacock abalone.
Its shell is white-brown, with skirt-shaped folds on the shell surface, and it is dotted with green spots, like a peacock opening screen. The suction cup is edged like a wood hibiscus with fine lace, and the movement is like a weak willow wind, gently waving under the water, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the most beautiful abalone in the world.
The South African abalone with full appearance is also the "Hercules" in the ocean.
South African abalone is mainly distributed off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope, where the Argales Current from Mozambique from the Indian Ocean and the Benguela Current from antarctic waters meet, where the strong westerly wind jets are constantly stirring up terrifying waves, which were originally called "Storm Cape".
In this environment, the abalone endures the wind and waves day and night, and has practiced a "unique martial art": an abalone with a shell length of 15 cm has an adsorption force of up to 200 kg in its gastropods, and can easily lift 3 adults.
The turbulent waters continue to bring fresh nutrients, kelp, red algae and green algae are their favorite foods, after a long 10-13 years of growth, South African abalone naturally has a sweet taste superior to other abalone.
If fresh abalone is a treasure in seafood, then dried "steamed abalone" dried abalone is a treasure in the treasure.
All abalone can be made into dried abalone, but not all dried abalone can be made into dried abalone. The thick and firm meat quality is a necessary condition for fresh abalone to be made into a boiled heart abalone, which is the main reason why South African abalone can become the best dried abalone.
The Method of Making Dried Abalone by South Africans originated in Japan, where they string fresh abalone along the sharp corners at both ends with thin threads and dry them in the natural sun. South Africa is known as the "country of the sun", the average number of sunshine hours throughout the year is 7.5 to 9.5 hours, the average temperature is between 12-23 ° C, and the conditions for making dried abalone are excellent. The warm sunlight evaporates the water of the abalone without hurry, and the flavor substances change subtly in the center, slowly forming a mellow heart like old wine.
While South African abalone is delicious, it's not easy to catch them.
In the sea of high winds and waves, in order to catch the "Hercules", the South African abalone, people can only take a great risk, take advantage of its lack of preparation, and shovel it down or overturn it with a shovel with lightning speed, otherwise even if it is smashed, it will not be able to move it half an inch.
Like all top seafood, South African abalone has also experienced the extreme "rare" because of "top".
◎ Abalone populations along the Cape Town coast have been decreasing, and seaweed has exploded due to the loss of 'natural enemies'. Sharks' "staple food" seals are more likely to hide between seaweed and avoid shark prey, resulting in a decreasing number of sharks, which has caused unpredictable impacts on the entire marine life chain.
◎ South African fresh abalone is the first choice for Cantonese restaurants, and the original plate can sell for nearly 2,000 Hong Kong dollars.
The ecological crisis of abalone in South Africa began in the 1970s.
As a result, for the first time, the South African government introduced a quota system and criminal penalties to ensure that the number of wild abalone remains stable. However, apartheid policies led to white people controlling most of the commercial fishing rights, and traditional black fishermen were excluded, prompting some fishermen to try their own way and join the ranks of illegal fishing, which far exceeded the quota, resulting in a rapid decline in the number of wild abalone.
However, the root cause is still driven by interests driven by the continuous expansion of market demand, and the imbalance between supply and demand caused by the slow development of technology in the aquaculture abalone industry.
With wild abalone nearly extinct, the considerable market share of abalone exports and the vision of "sustainable abalone" are driving the development of the aquaculture abalone industry in South Africa.
However, the unstable social situation in South Africa has made the development of this industry still slow to this day, and Huayu Dangxian hopes that in the future, we can still taste this extreme delicacy.
TWO
The most atmospheric seafood
South African lobster
Some good shrimp eaters say that lobster has two flavors:
One is the smell of fireworks on the supper stalls; One is the taste of money in high-end restaurants.
If you have to find a third one, it is the small mood of the South African lobster.
South African Lobster is also known as south african west coast rock lobster or spiny lobster.
It looked exactly like Li Kui, a savage and fierce look. The body surface is brown or orange, and the tail fan is colorful in color, showing orange, blue, and green, like a rainbow fan. The thorax is spiny, has a pair of black bright eyes, has a lifespan of up to 30-40 years, and feeds mainly on mussels, barnacles, and small mollusks.
Near 34 degrees south latitude, starting from Cape Cross cape Namibia along the west coast to the southwesternmost tip of the African continent, the Cape of Good Hope coastline to Port Elizabeth, is a paradise for South African lobsters. The average annual temperature there is about 11 ° C, the water quality is pure and clear, and the nutrients are abundant.
Compared with New Dragon and Aolong, South African lobsters are smaller, 80% below 400g, so the price is much cheaper than them, in China's seafood market, a 400g or so South African lobster sells for about 100 yuan.
But the South African lobster can be described as a concentrated essence, in our Chinese saying, "it has meat in the cracks of its bones".
As the small bully of lobsters, the Muscle Fibers of South African Lobster are tender and firm, with full flesh and less than 0.2% fat content. High-quality protein and zinc, iodine, selenium and other trace elements are rich in content, the taste is extremely delicious, for the petty bourgeois life of Huayudang fresh diners, is the most cost-effective choice.
Seafood is not popular in South Africa, including white people, but according to local historical records, lobster is the main aquatic food in the hunting and gathering life of the Bushmen, the indigenous people of South Africa.
If you want to visit South Africa, if you want to taste the local lobster feast, you must go to a lobster town called Paternoster, which has a centuries-old tradition of eating lobster.
Located on the coast of the Western Cape in the northwest corner of Cape Town, bordering the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean, the town is the oldest fishing town in South Africa, and lobster is the largest amount of local aquatic products.
Of course, there is also an elegant and comfortable environment, beautiful bathing beaches, rolling beaches and quiet villages, a fairyland on earth formed by a combination of a variety of natural and cultural conditions, and a large number of tourist lovers and food lovers flock to it every year.
One thing to pay special attention to when traveling there is that we can eat lobster with confidence at local restaurants, but to buy lobster and take it out of town, you must buy it in a regular store and ask for a certificate receipt. Buying low-priced, invoice-free lobsters at vendors is illegal and will face a fine of R500 (about 250 yuan) per lobster and, if the quantity is huge, prosecution.
The main fishing period of South African lobster is concentrated in December to September of the following year, of which from May South Africa enters the winter, when lobsters begin to breed and hold eggs, which is also the fattest season for South African lobsters.
◎ There are only more than 800 holders of commercial long-range fishing quotas stipulated by the government, and the annual catch is between 200-600 kg.
◎ Recreational fishing quotas average about 180 tonnes per year.
◎ Recreational fishing, each license is only allowed to catch 4 lobsters per day, and the size must be more than 80mm.
◎ Holders of recreational fishing licenses are never allowed to sell or trade lobster in any way.
It is precisely because the South African people protect and cherish the "gift of the sea" that we can eat this delicious seafood with high cost performance.
South Africa, on one side of the magnificent Atlantic Ocean, on the other side is the calm Indian Ocean. Half wild, half gentle. Half gold diamonds, half delicious seafood, every little gift God has given to South Africa should be cherished by all.
In the next issue of "World Seafood Atlas", we will take you to Australia, which is located in the northeast of North America and surrounded by the sea, to see what special seafood this "country on the back of a sheep" has.