A culinary phenomenon is driving up prices for farmed Chinese bass (part of the Percichthyidae family), according to China’s leading restaurant and food delivery booking company.
Restaurants specializing in “suan cai yu” – “pickled vegetable fish” - have multiplied across China thanks to demand from young urbanites, according to a study by Dianping Meituan, the popular restaurant booking and reviewing app, which also allows customers to order restaurant food for delivery.
A spicy delicacy from Sichuan Province, the dish is being served by 30,000 specialist restaurants nationwide –up from the 13,000 stores counted by Dianping Meituan in 2016.
A ranking of suan cai yu restaurants in Guangzhou shows a range of hip establishments like Lu Ding Ji (Lukshow) and Tai Er and Romance of Sichuan, all of which are driving the popularity of a traditional dish amongst a younger generation. The venues share commonalities such as trendy décor and reasonable prices – the average spend at the establishments is CNY 80.00 (USD 11.58, EUR 10.28) per customer. Apart from Chinese bass, other species used in suan cai include carp, tilapia, and catfish – good news for export-focused firms seeking to reduce their dependence on international sales in the midst of the Sino-U.S. trade war.
