Editing Catfish (section)

===Food===
[[File:Loading2 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.jpg|thumb|Loading U.S. farm-raised catfish.]]
{{Main|Aquaculture of catfish}}

Catfish are easy to farm in warm climates, leading to inexpensive and safe food at local grocers. About 60% of U.S. farm-raised catfish are grown within a 65-mile (100-km) radius of [[Belzoni, Mississippi]].<ref>{{Cite web | author= Morris, J.E. |title= Pond Culture of Channel Catfish in the North Central Region | publisher= North Central Regional Aquaculture Center| date= October 1993| url= http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/NCR444.pdf| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070206022434/http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/NCR444.pdf| archive-date= 6 February 2007| access-date= 28 June 2006}}</ref> [[Channel catfish]] (''Ictalurus punctatus'') supports a $450 million/yr aquaculture industry.<ref name=tol/> The largest producers are located in the [[Southern United States]], including [[Mississippi]], [[Alabama]], and [[Arkansas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CatfProd/CatfProd-07-21-2017.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915113343/http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CatfProd/CatfProd-07-21-2017.pdf |archive-date=2017-09-15 |url-status=live|title=Catfish Production|date=21 July 2017|website=www.nass.usda.gov|access-date=14 September 2017}}</ref>

Catfish raised in inland tanks or channels are usually considered safe for the environment, since their waste and disease should be contained and not spread to the wild.<ref>{{cite journal | first = Paul | last = Rogers | title = Economy of Scales | journal = Stanford Magazine | publisher = [[Stanford University|Stanford Alumni Association]] | issue = March / April 2006 | url = http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2006/marapr/features/fishfarming.html | access-date = 14 February 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080611123839/http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2006/marapr/features/fishfarming.html | archive-date = 11 June 2008 | url-status = dead}}</ref>

In Asia, many catfish species are important as food. Several [[airbreathing catfish]] (Clariidae) and [[shark catfish]] (Pangasiidae) species are heavily cultured in Africa and Asia. Exports of one particular shark catfish species from [[Vietnam]], ''[[basa (fish)|Pangasius bocourti]]'', have met with pressures from the U.S. catfish industry. In 2003, The [[United States Congress]] passed a law preventing the imported fish from being labeled as catfish.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-catfish28nov28,0,6595048.story?coll=la-home-business| title = "'Catfish' bred in Asia move up on U.S. food chain"$, Associated Press via L.A. Times, 28 November 2006| website = [[Los Angeles Times]]| date = 28 November 2006| access-date = 5 December 2006| archive-date = 23 September 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095543/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-28-fi-catfish28-story.html| url-status = live}}</ref> As a result, the Vietnamese exporters of this fish now label their products sold in the U.S. as "basa fish." Trader Joe's has labeled frozen fillets of Vietnamese ''[[Pangasius hypophthalmus]]'' as "striper."<ref>Cole, Nancy (27 January 2006) [https://web.archive.org/web/20070731074338/http://growfish.com.au/content.asp?contentid=5816 Catfish imports not slowing]. Northwest Arkansas News</ref>

{{Cookbook|Catfish}}[[File:Fried catfish new orleans.JPG|thumb|Fried catfish from the [[cuisine of New Orleans]]]]
Catfish have widely been caught and farmed for food for thousands of years in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Judgments as to the quality and flavor vary, with some food critics considering catfish excellent to eat, while others dismiss them as watery and lacking in flavor.<ref name=Baker>Jenny Baker (1988), ''Simply Fish'' p 36–37. Faver & Faber, London.</ref> Catfish is high in [[vitamin D]].<ref name = FactD>{{cite web|url=http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/conditions/osteoporosis/vitd.htm|title=Vitamin D and Healthy Bones|publisher=New York State Department of Health|access-date=13 July 2007|archive-date=18 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818173653/http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/conditions/osteoporosis/vitd.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Farm-raised catfish contains low levels of [[omega-3 fatty acid]]s and a much higher proportion of [[omega-6 fatty acid]]s.<ref>[http://www.fitfunctional.com/index.php/articles/nutrition/60-fatty-fish-not-equal-in-qgoodq-fats-study Fatty Fish Not Equal in Good Fats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321233925/http://www.fitfunctional.com/index.php/articles/nutrition/60-fatty-fish-not-equal-in-qgoodq-fats-study |date=21 March 2012 }}. Reuters. Source: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, July 2008</ref>

In [[Central Europe]], catfish were often viewed as a [[delicacy]] to be enjoyed on [[feast day]]s and holidays. Migrants from Europe and Africa to the United States brought along this tradition, and in the [[Southern United States]], catfish is an extremely popular food.

The most commonly eaten species in the United States are the [[channel catfish]] and the [[blue catfish]], both of which are common in the wild and increasingly widely farmed. Farm-raised catfish became such a staple of the U.S. diet that President [[Ronald Reagan]] proclaimed National Catfish Day on June 25, 1987, to recognize "the value of farm-raised catfish."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-09-07 |title=The Rehab Archipelago {{!}} Forced Labor and Other Abuses in Drug Detention Centers in Southern Vietnam |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2011/09/07/rehab-archipelago/forced-labor-and-other-abuses-drug-detention-centers-southern |access-date=2019-06-25 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}</ref>

Catfish is eaten in a variety of ways. In Europe, it is often cooked in similar ways to [[carp]], but in the United States it is popularly crumbed with [[cornmeal]] and fried.<ref name=Baker/>

[[File:Pecel Lele 1.JPG|thumb|right|[[Pecel lele]] served with ''[[sambal]]'', [[tempeh]] and ''[[lalab]]'' vegetables in a tent ''[[warung]]'' in Jakarta, Indonesia]]

In [[Indonesia]], catfish is usually served fried or grilled in street stalls called ''[[warung]]'' and eaten with vegetables, [[sambal]] (a spicy [[relish]] or sauce), and usually ''[[nasi uduk]]'' (traditional [[coconut rice]]). The dish is called {{lang|id|pecel lele}} or {{lang|id|pecak lele}}. {{lang|id|Lele}} is the [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] word for catfish. The same dish can also be called as {{lang|id|lele penyet}} (squashed catfish) if the fish is lightly squashed along with sambal with a stone [[Mortar and pestle|mortar-and-pestle]]. The {{lang|id|pecel}} or {{lang|id|pecak}} version presents the fish in a separate plate while the mortar is solely for sambal.

In [[Malaysia]], catfish is called ''ikan keli'' and is fried with spices or grilled and eaten with [[tamarind]] and [[Bird's eye chili|Thai chili]] gravy and is also often eaten with [[steamed rice]].

In [[Bangladesh]] and the [[India]]n states of [[Odisha]], [[West Bengal]] and [[Assam]], catfish (locally known as ''magur'') is eaten as a favored delicacy during the [[monsoon]]s. In the Indian state of [[Kerala]], the local catfish, known as ''thedu''' or ''etta'' in [[Malayalam]], is also popular.

In [[Hungary]], catfish is often cooked in [[paprika]] sauce (Harcsapaprikás) typical of [[Hungarian cuisine]]. It is traditionally served with [[pasta]] smothered with [[curd cheese]] ([[túrós csusza]]).

In [[Myanmar]] (formerly Burma), catfish is usually used in ''[[mohinga]]'', a traditional noodle [[fish soup]] cooked with [[lemon grass]], [[ginger]], [[garlic]], pepper, banana stem, onions, and other local ingredients.

[[File:Catfishjf.JPG|thumb|[[Filipino cuisine|Filipino]] fried ''hito'' (catfish) with vinegar and ''[[kalamansi]]'' dip sauce]]
Vietnamese catfish, of the genus ''[[Pangasius]]'', cannot be [[Catfish Dispute|legally marketed as catfish]] in the United States, and so is referred to as ''[[swai]]'' or ''[[Basa (fish)|basa]]''.<ref name = FactSwai>{{cite web|url=http://www.unionfishco.com/swai/details.htm|title=Union Fish Company – Basa/Swai Details|access-date=11 November 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071109150512/http://www.unionfishco.com/swai/details.htm |archive-date = 9 November 2007}}</ref> Only fish of the family ''[[Ictaluridae]]'' may be marketed as catfish in the United States.<ref name = PL107171>Public Law 107-171, §&nbsp;10806, 116 [[United States Statutes at Large|Stat.]] 526-527, codified in {{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/321d|title=United States Code, Title 21, section 321d. Market names for catfish and ginseng|mode=cs2|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417123630/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/321d|url-status=live}} and {{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/343-|title=United States Code, Title 21, section&nbsp;343&nbsp;(t). Misbranded food|access-date=9 May 2017|archive-date=23 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095542/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/343|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>''See'' ''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14897106900736461981&q=ictaluridae Piazza's Seafood World, LLC v. Odom] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095542/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14897106900736461981&q=ictaluridae |date=23 September 2023 }}'', 448 F. 3d 744 (5th Cir. 2006), ''citing'' Kerrilee E. Kobbeman, "Legislative Note, Hook, Line and Sinker: How Congress Swallowed the Domestic Catfish Industry's Narrow Definition of this Ubiquitous Bottomfeeder," 57 ARK. L.REV. 407, 411-18 (2004).</ref> In the UK, Vietnamese catfish is sometimes sold as "Vietnamese river cobbler", although more commonly as Basa.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/506/pdfs/uksi_20060506_en.pdf| publisher = [[Committee on Toxicity|COT]]| title = Fish Labelling (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006| date = 26 May 2007| access-date = 23 May 2013| archive-date = 31 January 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120131042544/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/506/pdfs/uksi_20060506_en.pdf| url-status = live}}</ref>

In [[Nigeria]], catfish is often cooked in a variety of [[stew]]s. It is particularly cooked in a delicacy popularly known as "catfish pepper soup" which is enjoyed throughout the nation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/how-to-cook-the-irresistible-catfish-pepper-soup-id8377325.html|title=How to cook the irresistible catfish pepper soup|last=Oreva|first=Duke|date=2018-05-14|access-date=16 May 2018|archive-date=16 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516175134/http://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/how-to-cook-the-irresistible-catfish-pepper-soup-id8377325.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Jewish dietary law, known as [[kashrut]], fish must have fins and scales to be [[kashrut|kosher]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kosher Spirit: Fins and Scales |url=https://www.ok.org/article/fins-scales/ |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=OK Kosher Certification |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129062913/https://www.ok.org/article/fins-scales/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Since catfish lack scales, they are not kosher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fisheries.tamu.edu/pond-management/species/channel-catfish/|title=Channel Catfish|website=fisheries.tamu.edu|access-date=2019-11-14|archive-date=1 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501061619/https://fisheries.tamu.edu/pond-management/species/channel-catfish/|url-status=live}}</ref>