Ilish Ilish Tenualosa ilisha (ilish, hilsa, hilsa herring "ইলিশ" in Bangla and Australia, or hilsa shad) is a species of fish related to the herring, in the Clupeidae family. It is a very popular and sought-after food fish in the southern region of Asia. It is Bangladesh's national fish. The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1.15% of GDP in Bangladesh. On 6 August 2017 Directorate of Patent, Design and Trademark (DPDT) under the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh has declared the recognition of ilish as the product of Bangladesh. Sixty-five percent of total produced ilish in
Bangladeshi cuisine rice), biryani, "firni", "payesh" and "pitha". Sticky rice (binni chal) is also popular and a favorite in the Sylhet region. The main breads are luchi, porota, ruti, bakarkhani, rice flour ruti and naan. Dal is another important staple food which is served with rice/porota/luchi. Fish is a staple in Bangladeshi cuisine, especially freshwater fish, which is a distinctive feature of the country's gastronomy. Major fish dishes include "ilish" (hilsa")", "pabda" (butterfish), "rui" (rohu), "pangash" (pangas catfish), pomfret", chitol" (clown knifefish), "magur" (walking catfish), "bhetki" (barramundi), "katla", "shing", "koral", "puti", "bowal", "koi" and tilapia, with "paddar ilish" (hilsa from the Padma