Fish balls first originated as a means for street hawkers to process lower-quality fish meat. The meat would be molded into a ball shape, then deep fried until a golden-yellow colour was seen.[1] Curry was brought into Hong Kong by Indian settlers under British rule, and provided a convenient spice to compensate for the lack of freshness of the fish.[4][5] In the high-density environment of the 1970s, selling curry fish balls as part of
street hawking provided a convenient means of sustaining a family, and the cheapness of the food also contributed to its popularity.
Curry fish balls in street hawking began to decline as government
cleanliness campaign [
zh] began to crack down on street vendors.[4] However, it was still a culturally important dish. Legal vendors in government-approved festivals, as well as traditional restaurants such as cha chaan teng or school cafeterias, continued selling curry fish balls as a cheap snack.[6] In areas with large amounts of Hong Kong diaspora, such as Toronto, curry fish balls are also sold as a nostalgia item.[7]
Variants
In popular culture
References
^
ab"咖喱魚蛋50年代流行至今" [Cury fish balls popular since the 1950s]. Apple Daily (in Chinese). 3 June 2006. Archived from
the original on 10 August 2019.
^"香港美食|盤點中學小食部9大難忘美食 咖喱魚蛋、糯米雞、撈麵" [Hong Kong gourmet: The 9 most missed foods in high school cafeterias: fish balls, glutinous rice, stir-fry noodles]. hk01 (in Chinese). 23 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
^余, 品潔; 謝, 文祥 (11 November 2023).
"1秒到香港!咖喱魚蛋、砵仔糕 港食接受度高" [To Hong Kong in one second: Curry fish balls, potato cakes among most popular Hong Kong food]. TVBS (in Chinese). Retrieved 16 December 2023.
^
ab"舌尖上的香港 從五道美食看香港百年變遷" [Hong Kong on the tip of the tongue: looking at a hundred years of Hong Kong history from the perspective of five popular foods]. Hong Kong Commercial Dily (in Chinese). 8 August 2017. Archived from
the original on 27 January 2019.
^"街頭小食系列 -- 咖哩魚蛋" (in Chinese). 中央廣播電臺. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
^陳, 俊豪 (27 September 2023).
"香港夜繽紛|灣仔夜市熟食檔近半 有小食檔20元15粒魚蛋 檔主:唔會賣到咁嗰嗰有怨言" [Hong Kong Night Vibes: Cooked food stalls over half of the stalls in Wan Chai night market - Stall owner: Will not raise price to the extent that everyone is complaining]. Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 December 2023.
^"【香港街頭小食】太古廣場港式街頭美食檔 傳承香港傳統味道" [Hong Kong street food: Tai Koo plaza street food stall preserves traditional Hong Kong taste]. Sing Tao Canada (in Chinese). 28 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.