Shark’s Fin

Another exotic delicacy of China. Southern Chinese restaurants and expensive restaurants in other areas of China sometimes offer a long list of shark’s fin dishes. Extremely expensive, this is a conspicuous symbol of extravagance. Shark’s fin is found dried in many dry food shops in China. The fin means the dorsal “comb fin” or the two ventral fins of any of a variety of sharks; indeed, in China, fins are imported from all over the world. Preparation usually involves an elaborate process of soaking and boiling in several changes of water and stocks. However, thanks to modern technology, it is now possible to purchase prepared shark’s fin in the freezer section of the Chinese market.