What is the difference between white eel and yellow eel (rice field eel), and how much does it cost per jin on the market?

White eel is a type of eel, with the scientific name Anguilla japonica, also known as river eel, and is a catadromous migratory fish. So is there a difference between it and the yellow eel we commonly talk about? Roughly how much does it cost per jin to buy? It is said that the white eel is born in the sea and grows up in rivers, with a white belly, which is why people in Guangdong mostly call it “white eel”. It is produced along the coasts and rivers of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and other provinces.

1. Is there a difference between white eel and yellow eel?

Yellow eel and white eel each have their own strengths in nutritional value.

Yellow eel:

1. Yellow eel meat is tender and fresh-tasting. Its nutritional value is very high. Eel contains abundant DHA and lecithin, which are major components of the cell membranes of various organs and tissues in the human body, and are also indispensable nutrients for brain cells.

2. The special substance it contains, “eelin”, can lower blood sugar and regulate blood sugar, and has a relatively good therapeutic effect on diabetes. In addition, it contains very little fat, making it an ideal food for people with diabetes.

3. Its vitamin A content is astonishingly high. Vitamin A can improve eyesight and promote the metabolism of the skin and mucous membranes. Yellow eel is produced in all four seasons, but those around Minor Heat are the fattest and most delicious. There is a folk saying that “yellow eel at Minor Heat rivals ginseng.”

White eel:

1. Because of its high edible value, white eel is called “ginseng of the water.” An adult white eel is about 60 cm long. Among the fashionable new-style Cantonese cuisine “fresh and lively seafood” group that is popular all over the country, white eel is precisely one of the precious fish that diners crave.

2. White eel has very high nutritional value, is rich in protein and fat, and contains extremely abundant vitamin A and vitamin E, which play an important role in maintaining normal human visual function and epithelial tissue morphology, and in maintaining normal human sexual function. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that white eel has the functions of tonifying deficiency, strengthening the body, dispelling wind and killing parasites, and can help prevent and treat pulmonary tuberculosis, rheumatism, night blindness, and various weaknesses in men and women.

How much per jin are white eel and yellow eel in 2019?

1. White eel    Beijing Fengtai District Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market      77.0 yuan/kg 

White eel       Shandong Province Weihai City Aquatic Products Wholesale Market             100.0 yuan/kg 

White eel       Hubei Xishui City Chengbei Agricultural Products Wholesale Market      210.0 yuan/kg

2. The table below is a reference table of yellow eel prices in Jiangsu and Yueyang, Hunan