How American crayfish invaded Chinese hearts and stomachs, and how to cook and eat them safely
The red crustacean was introduced to China by the Japanese, who kept them as pets. Set free at the end of the second world war, they flourished and, popularised initially by migrants, have become a culinary favourite
Shunned elsewhere as an invasive species, crayfish are close to becoming a national dish in China, where breeding them has become a huge industry. And Chinese have the Japanese to thank for it.
Production across China jumped from 265,000 tonnes in 2007 to 850,000 tonnes in 2016, according to China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. A further 49,000 tonnes were caught in the wild in the latter year. China has become the world’s biggest exporter of crayfish.
Chinese eat more than 90 per cent of the crayfish consumed globally, and China imports frozen crayfish from Turkey and Africa. Scenes of World Cup viewers swigging beer and gorging on the red crustacean are currently playing out in bars and restaurants across the country.
The phenomenon of a people feasting on a creature which harms crops and feeds partly on carrion so intrigued Chinese University of Hong Kong anthropology professor Sidney Cheung that he spent four years in the United States, Japan and Jiangsu in China researching the origin of dishes made with crayfish.
World Cup snacks: crayfish, duck necks and chicken feet among the top Chinese match-day treats
Cheung, who has spent 15 years researching aquaculture development in coastal communities, such as the oyster farms and freshwater fish farms of Hong Kong, recently gave a talk on crayfish culture in Shenzhen, a city on China’s southern border with Hong Kong, which was broadcast on the Yixi web channel.
Called the little lobster by the Chinese, the crayfish, unlike its saltwater cousin, lives in freshwater lakes and swamps. And while lobsters prefer to eat fish and molluscs, crayfish will eat anything they can get their claws on – including decaying plants, dead fish and insects.
The red swamp crayfish – scientific name Procambarus clarkii – originates from Louisiana, a southern US state, and was brought to China by Japanese civilians, who reared them as pets during the second Sino-Japanese war (from 1937 to 1945), says the professor. A number of myths are attached to its arrival.