Freshwater Fish, Shrimp and Shellfish · FFET10473
Chinese soft-shelled turtle (jiayu)
Also called bie or tuanyu, jiayu appears in older culinary texts stir-fried, simmered in broth, or served in its shell.
Fish, shrimp, crab and molluscs from rivers, lakes and ponds.
Jiayu, also called bie or tuanyu, refers here to the Chinese soft-shelled turtle used as food. Older culinary texts describe boning and stir-frying it, simmering it in chicken stock, and returning braised meat to its shell. An industry report names Zhejiang, Hubei and Anhui as the leading farming provinces for 2020.
What
Jiayu, also called bie or tuanyu, refers here to the Chinese soft-shelled turtle used as food. It can be simmered in soup or braised.1,3
When
Older texts describe making soup with scallions and sauce, along with stir-fried, broth-simmered, and in-shell preparations. These accounts do not establish when turtle was first used in cooking.1,2
Where
A January 2022 industry report states that national output of jiayu in 2020 was about 333,000 metric tons, including about 102,100 in Zhejiang, 47,600 in Hubei and 39,800 in Anhui.5
How
Older methods include scalding, removing the bones and shell, and simmering the meat into soup with scallions and sauce. Another preparation stir-fries the boned meat in sesame oil with soy sauce and chicken stock. For broth-simmered turtle, it is first boiled whole, then shredded and simmered with chicken stock, soy sauce, and wine.1,2
Why
Turtle preparations extend beyond soup. One method recorded in an older culinary text returns the braised meat to its original shell for serving.2
Impact and influence
The Chinese soft-shelled turtle is the species most commonly raised on China's turtle farms.4