Fermented meat around the world
Dry salami, sour pork with rice, matured sheep and aged blubber follow different paths from animal to food. Their stories connect microbes with climate, slaughter, migration and the meals people share.
Shidal
Hidal · Seedal
Shidal is a fermented fish preparation from Assam, Tripura and neighbouring northeastern regions, made from small dried fish moistened and matured in earthenware. Studies describe salt-free versions that stay solid or pasty.
What it is
Shidal is a fermented fish preparation from northeastern India. It is made from small fish that are dried, moistened and packed into earthenware vessels to mature. Its texture ranges from solid to pasty, and in the scientific descriptions it can keep much of the fish's shape.
The product is used as a condiment and a seasoning rather than as a clear sauce. Its character comes from the fish itself, not from a long salt brine.
Sources for this section
Method in the sources
The studies describe a process in which small dried fish is moistened and packed into prepared earthenware for maturation. Several accounts describe a salt-free version, which is an unusual feature among fish ferments. No batch size, moisture level, temperature or duration is given in the sources used here, so none is supplied on this page.
Because the process is not standardised in the sources, home production should not be treated as validated. Any cook who attempts it needs to treat the result with the same caution as any uncontrolled fermented fish.
Sources for this section
Regional relatives
Shidal sits in a group of northeastern Indian fermented fish products that include ngari from Manipur and hentak, a paste made with aroid. Their methods differ in salt, ingredients and timescale, so they should not be treated as one product.
The name also appears as hidal and seedal in the sources, and spelling varies between regions.
Sources for this section
History
The modern scientific descriptions cited here document the product as used in northeastern India. They do not establish the date when shidal was first made.
Ingredients
Small dried fishSun-dried small fish, moistened before packing.
Amount not stated
Species and quantity are not fixed by the sources.Method
- Small dried fish is moistened.
- The moistened fish is packed into a prepared earthenware vessel.
- The vessel is kept for maturation. Studies describe products that remain solid or pasty and sometimes keep much of the fish's outline.
- Salt-free versions are described in the studies; the sources give no salt ratio or maturation time.
Places
Assam and Tripura
Traditional preparation · Region evidenceRegional documentation; does not establish an origin date or a single village tradition.
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Sources
PubMed CentralMethod · History
Fermented fish products of northeastern India (PMC4711405)Small dried fish moistened and packed into earthenware for maturation
Salt-free products that stay solid or pasty
Cited in: What it is; Method in the sources; Regional relatives