Nothing to replace the appeal of tinned fish
IT WAS a nasty blow to the tummy and taste buds when tinned fish – the humble, uncelebrated hero of Indian cooking – was ordered to be removed from shop shelves.
A cuisine calamity of such proportion had not been visited upon the community since big, plump, dried shrimps disappeared from grocery stores many years ago.
The tinned fish command was given by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, for wholesalers, retailers and informal traders to stop selling the 400g Pilchards in Tomato Sauce and 400g Pilchards in Chilli Sauce with immediate effect.
Investigations apparently revealed a deficiency in the canning process during the sauce-filling step. The problem is said to set in after months of storage.
The contents of the can, reacting with the metal of the can, could lead to contamination and the release of a micro-organism called Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium, if ingested, causes botulism, a rare and potentially fatal illness. The affected batch of tinned fish cans bear markings starting with ZST29 and ZSC29 on the top.
The one concern I have is that the withdrawn cans must not find their way back into the food supply chain. The authorities must ensure they are destroyed, otherwise, unscrupulous traders will for sure be selling the affected cans to unsuspecting customers at Bangladesh Market in Chatsworth.
I see this happening with so many other food products that have been “salvaged”.
Distressed or salvaged food are items that traditional grocery stores won’t or can’t sell. This is because the food is near or past its expiry date, the cans are dented or are from insurance claims.
I have no proof that any of the products are from trucks that have been hijacked.
Now, you may ask, what is the big deal if just one range of canned food such as tinned fish is withdrawn? Surely, there are still so many others available, liked tinned beans, vegetables, soups and meats.
For a start, there is just nothing to replace the appeal of tinned fish. It has been part of the staple diet of the community long before pasta dishes, grilled prawns, pizzas, crispy fried chicken, T-bone steaks and pork chops – and eating with fork and knife – came into the picture.
The popularity of tinned fish has even lent itself to names – Tin Fish Bobby and Lucky Star Sathie come to mind.
Price and convenience must rate high for tinned fish being a “must have” in the grocery cupboard of almost every household for generations.
Upon hearing of the product withdrawal, my friend Jay Naidoo, formerly from Asherville, Durban, and now settled in Melbourne, Australia, recalled in a WhatsApp message that a can of tinned fish “prepared lovingly by mom would be our family meal once a week”.
The leftover curry would be the filling for sandwiches to be taken to school the following day, he said, adding a can of pilchards cost less than 10 cents at the time.
Another friend, Johnson Naidoo, now that he is retired, has a preference for fine-dining restaurants. However, he has not forgotten what he terms soul food and lists among these tinned fish, dried fish chutney, trotters and beans, and samp with mutton.
“My mother used to refer to tinned fish as Simon Tin. I am sure she meant salmon. Tinned fish was the staple diet of many Indian families,” he reminisced.
When salaries were low and money was scarce, tinned fish was more affordable than chicken and meat.
Almost every family that made an annual pilgrimage to the beach at Isipingo, Park Rynie, Umkomaas or Durban ensured that tinned fish chutney sandwiches were crammed into old biscuit containers to have as a mid-morning light meal before the chicken breyani at lunch time.
Tinned fish worked better when large groups comprising many households within the joint family system went to the beach. When the numbers were smaller, Jutland sardines was the way to go.
The sardines would be mashed and mixed with chopped onions and green chillies, and used as a sandwich filling to be washed down with hot tea or cold Coke.
Nobody complained if grains of sand entered the sandwich container as that was par for the course. And meanwhile the crashing waves were inviting.
In my days as a roving reporter traversing the dusty back roads in rural KwaZulu-Natal with my late photographer buddy Morris Reddy, we would often stop at a country store to buy tinned fish which we would mix (without cooking as it is pre-cooked) with raw onions, a tomato and green chillies to go with (often stale) bread. It made for a nourishing and satisfying low-budget meal.
On many family trips to India with media colleagues, I would be sure to take along a can of pilchards.
I recall as if only yesterday that I once bought a stainless-steel bowl, a red onion, some chillies and bread from the hotel kitchen before the bus set off for the journey from Delhi to Jaipur.
The planned lunch stop was delayed. At the back seat of the bus, I prepared a tinned fish meal that Khalil Aniff, Gary Govindsamy and I demolished.
Vegetarian Puri Devjee looked on forlornly. It was a fun meal for hungry boys. The only problem was that the fishy smell remained on our hands for some time before we stopped again.
By the way, although my prissy wife would not have approved of the meal I made, that bowl is still her favourite in our kitchen.
Many years ago, tinned fish alone would be cooked as a chutney-cum-curry. Lots of tomatoes would be used. Then boiled eggs entered the recipe. Today you also have tinned fish breyani (even better when made with mealie rice) and tinned fish samoosas.
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni who upped the old age state grant by a paltry R80 last Wednesday, must know a thing or two about being frugal with food.
Last December he shared one of his favourite recipes on social media – tinned fish with onion, tomato, green pepper and lots of garlic. He was mocked by his fans for using too much garlic.
For lovers of history, Frenchman Nicholas Appert invented the canning method in 1810. He put fresh or cooked meat, fish or vegetables in bottles, sealed them and then heated them in boiling water. In 1820, the first canning plants started to operate in Boston and New York.
According to food scientist and member of the South African Association for Food Science and Technology, Professor Lucia Anilech, botulism – the illness you will suffer if you eat the corrupted tinned fish – usually manifests itself 18 to 36 hours after eating the contaminated food.
Difficulty speaking, dry mouth, blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps are some of the symptoms, she says.
Incidentally, these are similar to what you experience when you have a massive babelaas from overindulgence. And a surefire “cure” is spicy tinned fish chutney with lots of chillies and slices of buttered toast.
Here’s hoping fresh, untainted stocks of canned pilchards fill the supermarket shelves soon.
Devan is a media consultant and social commentator. Share your comments with him on: yogind@meropa.co.za
THE decision to recall various brands of canned fish – or tinned fish – products has distressed many home cooks.
Last Monday, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) ordered all formal wholesalers and retailers, and informal traders, to remove and stop selling certain brands of the 400g pilchards in tomato sauce and 400g pilchards in chilli sauce, with immediate effect.
According to a statement issued by the NRCS, an entity of the Department of Trade and Industry, the decision follows the outcome of an investigation, which revealed a deficiency in the canning process.
“Some of the cans were compromised during the sauce filling step on the production line and it could, therefore, affect the safety of consumers. The problem manifests itself after months of storage, which cause the content of the can to react with the metal of the can,” read the statement.
The affected products, said the NRCS, were manufactured by West Point Processors, in Cape Town, last year.
The brands include the Spar and Shoprite brands, Cape Point, Saldanha and the Checkers Housebrand.
The products bear the markings starting with ZST29 and ZSC29 on top of the can for easy identification.
Mirriam Moswaane, of the NRCS, said they were busy with the recall process.
“The manufacturer already started the recall and the NRCS will continue to monitor the process with all the other wholesalers and retailers, including the informal market, to ensure the process is handled efficiently.”
For many households, canned fish, mainly pilchards, are affordable and a staple.
Despite certain brands being removed from the shelves, some consumers have stopped purchasing canned fish out of fear.
Devi Moodley, 57, of Merebank, said she cooked tinned fish chutney at least twice a week.
“During my younger years, my parents did not have a lot of money to buy meat or chicken and feed our family of seven.
“Tinned fish chutney, breyani or tinned fish and potato served with rice, roti or mealie rice, were a musthave. My mother would make a big pot of tomato chutney and add a can of fish and sometimes add boiled eggs, and that would feed us that night and the next day.”
Moodley said her two children and 7-year-old granddaughter shared the same love for the pilchards.
“My granddaughter will tell me to make it every second or third day. We eat it with roti or kitcharie (dhall and rice) but, after the news about the recall, we are afraid to eat any tinned fish.”
Sarika Naidoo, 35, of Verulam, added: “When we were younger, my mother would cook a big pot of tinned fish breyani or we would make sandwiches using the fish straight out of the can, adding a mix of tomato, onion and chillies. It was the best meal to have on an outing.”
Like Moodley, she said she did not intend to buy the pilchards.
“Despite knowing which brands are affected, I am still hesitant.”
Sandra Kisten, 48, of Chatsworth, who owns a home-based samoosa business, said she generally prepared about 10 dozen fish samoosas for suppliers, a week.
“Even though I use ‘middle cut in brine’, instead of tinned fish, people may stay away from all products to be safe.”
Babez Naidoo, 58, of Isipingo, who runs the Facebook page, Babez Delicious Cuisines, said: “It will be disappointing not to enjoy a good tinned fish meal.”
She said she generally shared the recipes, of the meals she prepared for her family, on her social media page.