Why is the Bombay Duck called so?

Praise for coastal cuisine isn’t complete without mentioning the famous Bombay duck. This tasty fish, fried to crispy golden brown perfection, is a staple for living on both the east and west coast. But did you know that the Bombay duck, or what’s popularly called Bombil, is actually a fish? Yes, the unique name has got nothing to do with the feathered folk and everything to do with those under the water.

Indianexpress.com spoke to Dr Kurush Dalal, archaelogist and culinary anthropologist, in order to understand the history behind its unique nomenclature!

From Bengal to Tamil Nadu, Kerala to Gujarat, this fish is a regular part of daily preparations. It has been lovingly coined ‘Bombil; on the west coast, ‘Loitta’ on the east and ‘Bumla’ in Gujarat.

Dalal said that there’s no specific mention of how the name Bombay Duck stun on. As far as the apocryphal tale goes, he narrated that there were a large number of drought and famine relief projects in Northern India under the British Empire. To feed the workers working on these projects, a decent source of protein was required.

“The cheapest option available was dried Bombay Duck found in the west coast of India, which was sent to the northern parts of the country by train. When the train passed by, locals could smell the stink of the dried fish and they jokingly underlined that the Bombay daak (mail) was on its way,” he shared.

The British picked it up as the Bombay duck, and the name got ‘lost in translation’.

From Bengal to Tamil Nadu, Kerala to Gujarat, this fish is a regular part of daily preparations. (Source: Freepik)

What makes it so popular?

According to him, Bombay duck is what the fishermen eat. “It is widely abundant on the west coast and found fresh on the east. From Karnataka to Gujarat, this fish is dried, put away and consumed by and large during the pre-monsoon and monsoon months”, he said.

Dalal shared that from the month of May to the Narayan Purnima in August, fishing season comes to halt, as it is considered to be breeding season for the marine. Fishermen on small boats consider the cost of limb and livelihood too high to venture into rough waters.

“A lot of people also couldn’t get access to the coast due to lack of storage and transportation facilities. The lack of ice and Styrofoam boxes was a huge impediment to fresh fish consumption. Thus, dried fish became their go-to, and the Bombay Duck was an easy choice for affordable protein,” explained Dalal.

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