110 



NEIDA VASAL, VANAGIRI AND TRANQUEBAR. 



Large fish are cut open, cleaned, salted and kept in baskets. 

 Small fish are cleaned and packed in layers of salt in baskets. 

 They are removed from the baskets either immediately if the fish 

 is brought during the day or after I2 hours if brought in the 

 evening, and dried in the sun for 24 to 48 hours according as they 

 are small or large. 

 Dryage — 



Large fish 26 to 30 percent. 



Small „ ■•• ... 38 to 40 



AKKARAIKUPPAM AND VADAKKAMMAPATNAM. 



Very small fish are not brought to the yard, as they are simply 

 sun dried. Big fish are split open by a longitudinal incision on the 

 back a little to the right or left of the median line, entrails are 

 removed and washed in sea or back w^ater whichever be nearer. 

 The heads, bones and fins are not removed. The viscera of all 

 cartilagenous fish (ray skates, saw fish and dog fish) are sepa- 

 rately cured by the ticket-holders in their houses with duty-paid 

 salt since they are esteemed as a nutritious diet to puerpural women 

 and to convalescents. The eggs of cat fish are salted separately 

 and eaten. The guts are thrown away as refuse and are not 

 collected and used as manure. Occasionally Pariahs gather them 

 to be cooked and eaten. 



There are three methods of curing adopted here-- 



{a) Dry curing. — After gutting and cleaning salt is sprinkled 

 over layers of fish and they are exposed to sun for 18 to 24 hours. 



{b) Shade curing. — After gutting fish are taken to the yard 

 without being washed, and salt is sprinkled on them. They are 

 left on the floor of the curing shed in which condition they remain 

 for four or five days. Then they are removed and gently dipped 

 in water, sun-dried for an hour or two and leave the yard. 



(c) Pit curing. — Fish after being gutted and cleaned are 

 placed in layers in pits with a mat lining at the bottom, and some- 

 times at the sides also and salt is thickly sprinkled between each 

 layer: another mat is then placed on the top and the whole is 

 covered over with mud. Next day the pit is opened and the fish is 

 well rubbed with salt and it is repacked and left in the pits for 

 three or four days till the salt is completely dissolved. Fish thus 

 cured is for distant markets such as Tanjore, Trichinopoly and 

 Orattanadu. 



Proportion of salt ~ 



Large fish ... ... ... ... ... I : 6 



Small ,, ... ... ... ... ... [ : 7 



Dryage — 



Small fish 24 to 34 per cent. 



ARGOT THORAI AND POINT CALIMERE. 



Fish after being gutted and cleaned and rubbed with powdered 

 salt are placed on the ground in layers on mats or gunnies and 

 weighted with heavy stones. Sometimes the fish is placed in pits 

 or earthen pots buried in the ground as at Point Calimere. During 

 day time it is taken out and dried, and at nights packed again. 

 This process is repeated for three days in the case of big fish and 

 two days for small ones. 



