DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49708#0109
SESSIONAL PAPERS, 1881,
93
(3)
Fish-curing at the Maldives.—The fish caught in the seas encircling the Atols of the
Maidive archipelago are classed by the natives broadly into two chief kinds :—
1. Fane mas. This term includes what the Sinhalese call gal mdlu, and bears the
same literal meaning, viz., ‘rock fish’; such are the Sinhalese tambuwd, sildwd, koppara.
But among the Maldivians faru mas would seem to comprehend also the larger kinds, such
as ‘sawfish’ (M. farutoli), ‘sword-fish’ (M. liibaru), ‘sear-fish’ (M. toll, S. tor a} and ‘sharks’
(M. miyaru, S. mdrd.) These fish are of a soft, oily nature, unadapted for curing, only edible
when fresh, and never salted for the foreign market.* * * §
2. The real ‘Maidive fish’ (M. kalu-bili-mas,\ vulgarly komboli or kommala mas, S. umbala
kada} of the Ceylon and Indian markets are chiefly bonito (S. balaya, Scomber Pelamis, L.)
though two or three more species are similarly cured, e.g., M. goda (? S. etawalld}, M. kanneli
(? S. kelawalla}, M. ragodi (S rdgoduwdf) The flesh of these fish is tough, dark, and not very
palatable, and—especially kelawalla and balaya—spoken of by the Sinhalese as giniyam, ‘heating.’
At one season of the year a large number of these balayo, or bonitos, are caught off the south-west
coast of this Island, and from the fishery the village of Balapitiya (‘the hamlet of the balaya'}
on the sea-board, twenty-three miles north of Point-de-G-alle, has derived its name.J
The details of the kalu-bili-rhas curing industry—the staple export of the Islands—are
extremely simple.
After the fish are brought on shore a portion is sold whilst fresh, and the remainder treated as
follows:—The entrails (M. gohoru, S. boku} and the lower part of the belly (M. badu, S. bada-
wata} are extracted, the head and tail cut off and thrown away, the fish split up, and the spine
bone removed. The two slices are then usually divided in one of two ways:—
(i.) If into two pieces (i.e., four pieces in all) they are known generally as Himiti-mas, each
individual piece as gadu, and all four together as make or emmas (‘one fish’).
Fig. I.
This plan of cutting the bonito is said to have originated in the island of Himiti (Nilandu
Atol), and is followed also by the Islanders of Kolumadulu and Haddumatf Atols.
(ii.) If the two slices are divided into four strips with a transverse cut across the front of
the fish, thus,—■
Fig. II.
the pieces have separate names, and are valued differently—
a a the pieces along the back and belly, called gadu mas ;
bb those along the middle of the side, called medu mas ;
c that between the head and the ends of a a b b, called kird mas.
Gadu mas, so called because they are supposed to be the best pieces§; medu (S. meda} mas,
because they are from the centre ; kird mas, because these pieces are weighed (M. kiran, S. kiranavd,
, THE
MALDIVES.
Productions and
Manufactures.
Notes,
* Christopher, however, (J. R. A. S., Vol. VI.) has/imt mas ‘salted and dried fish.’
f See Ind. Ant., Vol. VIII,, p. 321, “Notes and Queries,” where Mr. D. Ferguson, on the authority of
Mudaliyar L. De Zoysa, would set old Pyrard right, by deriving ‘ cobily mash’ from the Sinhalese kahili (pl. of
ke.bella') ‘pieces,’ and mas ‘fish.’ Kalu-bili = kalu ‘black’, hili (S. balaya) ‘bonito.’
I These seas are frequented by Bonitoes or good fishes, which are wholesome food, though the flesh is dry.
They are of the same figure and bigness as carps, but somewhat thicker. They swim in shoals close together, and
always follow the ships. These also devour a great quantity of flying-fish, which you find many times undigested in
their bellies.”—A Collection of Voyages of the Dutch East-India Company, translated into English (p. 132,
London, 1703).
§ Gadu, holu, affixes employed when speaking of anything connected with the Sultan ; e.g., ha't-kolu, ‘ the State
umbrella ;’ vedwn-gadu, the large sweatmeat presented annually to the Ceylon Governor. V. s., p. 80.
93
(3)
Fish-curing at the Maldives.—The fish caught in the seas encircling the Atols of the
Maidive archipelago are classed by the natives broadly into two chief kinds :—
1. Fane mas. This term includes what the Sinhalese call gal mdlu, and bears the
same literal meaning, viz., ‘rock fish’; such are the Sinhalese tambuwd, sildwd, koppara.
But among the Maldivians faru mas would seem to comprehend also the larger kinds, such
as ‘sawfish’ (M. farutoli), ‘sword-fish’ (M. liibaru), ‘sear-fish’ (M. toll, S. tor a} and ‘sharks’
(M. miyaru, S. mdrd.) These fish are of a soft, oily nature, unadapted for curing, only edible
when fresh, and never salted for the foreign market.* * * §
2. The real ‘Maidive fish’ (M. kalu-bili-mas,\ vulgarly komboli or kommala mas, S. umbala
kada} of the Ceylon and Indian markets are chiefly bonito (S. balaya, Scomber Pelamis, L.)
though two or three more species are similarly cured, e.g., M. goda (? S. etawalld}, M. kanneli
(? S. kelawalla}, M. ragodi (S rdgoduwdf) The flesh of these fish is tough, dark, and not very
palatable, and—especially kelawalla and balaya—spoken of by the Sinhalese as giniyam, ‘heating.’
At one season of the year a large number of these balayo, or bonitos, are caught off the south-west
coast of this Island, and from the fishery the village of Balapitiya (‘the hamlet of the balaya'}
on the sea-board, twenty-three miles north of Point-de-G-alle, has derived its name.J
The details of the kalu-bili-rhas curing industry—the staple export of the Islands—are
extremely simple.
After the fish are brought on shore a portion is sold whilst fresh, and the remainder treated as
follows:—The entrails (M. gohoru, S. boku} and the lower part of the belly (M. badu, S. bada-
wata} are extracted, the head and tail cut off and thrown away, the fish split up, and the spine
bone removed. The two slices are then usually divided in one of two ways:—
(i.) If into two pieces (i.e., four pieces in all) they are known generally as Himiti-mas, each
individual piece as gadu, and all four together as make or emmas (‘one fish’).
Fig. I.
This plan of cutting the bonito is said to have originated in the island of Himiti (Nilandu
Atol), and is followed also by the Islanders of Kolumadulu and Haddumatf Atols.
(ii.) If the two slices are divided into four strips with a transverse cut across the front of
the fish, thus,—■
Fig. II.
the pieces have separate names, and are valued differently—
a a the pieces along the back and belly, called gadu mas ;
bb those along the middle of the side, called medu mas ;
c that between the head and the ends of a a b b, called kird mas.
Gadu mas, so called because they are supposed to be the best pieces§; medu (S. meda} mas,
because they are from the centre ; kird mas, because these pieces are weighed (M. kiran, S. kiranavd,
, THE
MALDIVES.
Productions and
Manufactures.
Notes,
* Christopher, however, (J. R. A. S., Vol. VI.) has/imt mas ‘salted and dried fish.’
f See Ind. Ant., Vol. VIII,, p. 321, “Notes and Queries,” where Mr. D. Ferguson, on the authority of
Mudaliyar L. De Zoysa, would set old Pyrard right, by deriving ‘ cobily mash’ from the Sinhalese kahili (pl. of
ke.bella') ‘pieces,’ and mas ‘fish.’ Kalu-bili = kalu ‘black’, hili (S. balaya) ‘bonito.’
I These seas are frequented by Bonitoes or good fishes, which are wholesome food, though the flesh is dry.
They are of the same figure and bigness as carps, but somewhat thicker. They swim in shoals close together, and
always follow the ships. These also devour a great quantity of flying-fish, which you find many times undigested in
their bellies.”—A Collection of Voyages of the Dutch East-India Company, translated into English (p. 132,
London, 1703).
§ Gadu, holu, affixes employed when speaking of anything connected with the Sultan ; e.g., ha't-kolu, ‘ the State
umbrella ;’ vedwn-gadu, the large sweatmeat presented annually to the Ceylon Governor. V. s., p. 80.