Shark fin soup

Shark fin soup is a traditional soup or stewed dish found in Chinese cuisine. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in Chinese cuisine. The soup originated centuries ago during the Song dynasty in China, serving the imperial family and court members. During the Ming dynasty, the dish's popularity increased and by the time of the Qing dynasty shark fin soup was in high demand. After the 19th century, the soup became highly sought-after dish as income levels of Chinese communities increased around the world. However, it has been condemned by the Humane Society International, which states that approximately 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. Currently, international concerns over the sustainability and welfare of sharks have impacted consumption and availability of the soup worldwide. Traditional shark fin soup or stew is made with fins obtained from a variety of shark species. Raw fins are processed by first removing the skin and denticles, then trimming them to shape and bleaching to a more desirable colour. Sharks' fins are sold dried, cooked, wet, and frozen. Ready-to-eat shark fin soup is also available in Asian markets. Dried fins come cooked and skinned (shredded) and raw and unskinned (whole), the latter requiring more preparation. Both need to be softened before they can be used to prepare soup. The taste in the soup comes from the broth; the fins themselves are almost tasteless. Rather than for taste, the fins are used for their 'snappy, gelatinous' texture, which has been described as 'chewy, sinewy, stringy'. Krista Mahr of Time called it 'somewhere between chewy and crunchy'. There is no scientific evidence that shark fins can be used to treat any medical condition. Sharks biomagnify toxins, so eating shark meat may raise the risk of dementia and heavy metal poisoning such as mercury poisoning. Shark fins are believed in Chinese culture to have properties of boosting sexual potency, enhancing skin quality, increasing qi or energy, preventing heart disease, and lowering cholesterol. In traditional Chinese medicine, shark fins are believed to help in areas of rejuvenation, appetite enhancement, and blood nourishment and to be beneficial to vital energy, kidneys, lungs, bones, and many other parts of the body.