Information about Dried Shredded Squid

Dried shredded squid
Traditional Chinese:	(by strand)
Simplified Chinese:
Hanyu Pinyin:	yóu yú sī
Cantonese Jyutping:	jau4 jyu4*2 si1
Literal meaning:	squid strand
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: yóu yú sī Yue (Cantonese) - Jyutping: jau4 jyu4*2 si1
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese:	(by slice)
Simplified Chinese:
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: yóu yú piàn Yue (Cantonese) - Jyutping: jau4 jyu4*2 pin3

Dried shredded squid is a dried, seasoned snack commonly found in coastal Asian countries, as well as Hawai'i. It is also referred to as "Shredded Squid", "Dried Seasoned Squid", "Prepared Rolled Squid" or "Sun Dried Squid". It should not be confused with regular dried squid found in the Philippines. The squid is also interchangeable with cuttlefish, so that the English name is "Dried Shredded Cuttlefish".

History and origins

Historically, squid is common in Pacific coastal regions of East and Southeast Asia. The food has always been referred to by the native language name. Only after the packaged form began shipping to English speaking regions, did the translated English-language name "dried shredded squid" get imprinted on packages. The snack was already popularized, sold and consumed regularly in Hong Kong during the 1970s. Macau later begin selling shredded squid as an addition to their almond biscuit. Hong Kong has also imported several brands from Japan and Taiwan, which are better adapted for mass production of this item.

Preparation

Northern Pacific Squid is separated into different parts and skinned, cooked at 65-80C for 3-5 minutes., cooled, graded and seasoned at a temperature below 20C for more than 4 hours. Sugar, salt, sorbitol, sweetener, and organic acid is added^[1]. They are then dried at 40-45C for 12-20 hours until it reaches a moisture level of 40%. It is then aged in a cold room for 2 weeks or longer, then dried at a higher temperature of 110-120C for 3-5 minutes<ref name="Doe" />. It is then machine-shredded and seasoned for a second time, dried again to a reduced moisture level of 25-27%. At this phase the color is yellow or brownish. The amino acid on the squid are revealed by the increase in brown color over prolonged storage time. Vacuum packaging or nitrogen-filled packaging also increase browning. Consumers generally do not want excessive browning<ref name="Doe" />.

Packaged

The most common distribution method in today's Asian countries is the pre-packaged format. The bags are usually sealed air tight to keep the squid chewy and tough. Depending on the company doing the packaging or preparation, each brand usually have their own ratio of MSG added on top.

Unpackaged

Unpackaged versions are much more rare as they have traditionally been available in select specialty shops, usually sold next to Beef Jerky.

Nutrition

Customers come to expect little to no health value. Hong Kong, Macau have a history of news reports claiming arsenic or other metals are found in the food^[2]. The snack is expected to be detrimental to health if consumed in large quantities. The main attraction is that the snack is loaded with MSG, salt and other flavoring. The food is famous for making consumers thirsty.

See also

• Beef jerky

References