Seafood · FFET10480
Cuttlefish (moyu)
Historically called wuzei, moyu is described as having black skin and white flesh, cooked with ginger and vinegar or dried.
Sea fish, shellfish, sea cucumber, seaweed and the dried foods of the sea.
Moyu is also called wuzei; historical accounts describe black skin and white flesh and record cooking it with ginger and vinegar, drying it with salt, and drying it without salt. Historical accounts from Fujian also list names such as lanyu and huazhi, with differing usage. Cuttlefish stock restoration along the Zhejiang coast includes Sepiella maindroni.
What
Moyu is also called wuzei, with historical accounts describing black skin and white flesh. Names such as moyu and huazhi differ in usage across accounts and cannot be assumed to identify a single species.1,2
When
Historical accounts record the name moyu and ways to cook and dry it, but the available material does not establish the earliest year it was eaten.1,2
Where
Historical accounts mention the East Sea, and local accounts from Fujian list moyu and related names. Stock restoration work along the Zhejiang coast involves Sepiella maindroni.1,2,3
How
Historical preparations include cooking it with ginger and vinegar. The salted and dried form is called mingxiang; the form dried without salt is called fuxiang.1
Why
One historical account from Fujian distinguishes round-tailed moyu from pointed-tailed huazhi and describes the latter's flesh as more tender. These distinctions belong to that account.2
Impact and influence
Reporting in August 2024 described work to restore Sepiella maindroni stocks in Zhejiang, including breeding and release at the Xixuan base.3