Topic: Bombay Duck.

[naga dave]

    The EU ban on this wonderful starter/accompaniment was supposedly lifted about 2 years ago. I would travel a long way just to taste it again, but is it available ANYWHERE ? ? Maybe if people start asking for it in restaurants, it will reappear .I wonder how many of today's restaurant customers even remember it . Let's try and get it back on the menu.
                        Dave.

[raygraham]

Hi ND,

Yes, I remember it from my younger days about 30 years ago!
I didn't know it was a fish for years, always thinking I would be served up a whole duck when I saw it on the menu. I believe it is called a Bummaloe or something similar.
The first experience was rather strange and I wasn't expecting what I got.

However, the taste was really nice, sort of salty kipper like and I did have it from time to time over a number of years.

I don't know how long the ban was in place but it must have been 20 years or so as I have never seen it on any menu for ages.
I read about the ban and as far as I am aware import was stopped on the basis of the hygiene issue associated with it.

Apparently it is landed from the water straight to the shore where it is left to dry unprotected from germs, stored in unhygenic conditions and shipped without much consideration to health either. I got the impression once it arrived here it was a festering? timebomb ready to kill us all!
Perhaps the ban has been lifted as things have been tightened up now. Don't know if it is going to make a comeback here though.

I might personally think twice before trying it again leaving my experiences of it pleasant as they were back in the past.

Regards

Ray

[naga dave]

    Hello Ray,
                 It was available from some Asian shops until the late nineties, but it seems restaurants dropped it earlier because frying it was the best method of cooking, and it gave the oil a very strong flavour.
                 The ban was for hygiene reasons , but mainly because some idiot in Brussels thought it was a form of poultry and didn't think to research the matter first. Oh well.
                  Dave.

[DARTHPHALL]

Another idiot in Brussels, why don't i sound surprised,mind you we've got a complete idiot in number 10...go ahead Blare & the Witch give the Europeans all OUR money  you A*****E !!

[Mark J]

Lets not get started on politics!!

[DARTHPHALL]

Yes let talk......... mmmmmmmmm Curry !!! ;D

[John]

Just found a place where you can order Bombay Duck online:
http://www.2pier.co.uk/

[pete]

OK, so who's going to order?
I tried to cook bombay duck
It was the early 80's, and I admit I knew very little about indian cuisine
But I loved eating this in restaurants
I thought it was on a par with crispy bacon
It was light , crispy, very salty with this unique aroma
I never managed to cook it right at home, and it really stunk out my flat
I believe it is simply deep fried
If you have got a deep pan fryer, and can spare the oil, it should be really straight forward
I reckon the oil will be a bit flavoured afterwards!
I tried grilling it too (bad mistake)
It used to come in about a pack of thirty, wrapped around with plastic and string.
You can buy other types of dried fish still
That's never been banned, it's called "salt fish" (it stinks as well)
They are for Jamaican recipes so I don't really understand why bombay duck was such a problem
This salt fish needs to be soaked in several changes of cold water
I am surprised that Bombay duck isn't back in restaurants, maybe it's been too long out of the scene.
I was talking to an up an coming takeaway owner
He's only about twenty five years old
So Bombay Duck would be something way before his time