View source for Conpoy

{{short description|Cantonese dried scallop}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|title='''Conpoy'''
|pic=BCfood17.JPG
|t=[[wikt:江瑤柱|江瑤柱]]
|s=[[wikt:江瑶柱|江瑶柱]]
|p=jiāng yáo zhù
|j=gong¹ jiu⁴ cyu⁵
|y=gōng yìuh chyúh
|l=river scallop
|t2=乾瑤柱
|s2=干瑶柱
|j2=gon¹ jiu⁴ cyu⁵
|y2=gōn yìuh chyúh
|p2=gān yáo zhù
|l2=dried scallop
|t3=[[wikt:乾貝|乾貝]]
|s3=干贝
|p3=gānbèi
|y3=gōn bui
|j3=gon¹ bui³
|poj3=kan-pōe
|l3=dried shell(fish)
}}

'''Conpoy''' or '''dried scallop''' is a type of Cantonese dried [[seafood]] product that is made from the [[Adductor muscle (Bivalvia)|adductor muscle]] of [[scallop]]s.<ref name="Simonds2005">{{cite book|last=Simonds|first=Nina|title=Food of China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-9XWQrpbLAgC&pg=PA289|year=2005|publisher=Murdoch Books|isbn=978-1-74045-463-6|page=289}}</ref> The smell of conpoy is marine, pungent, and reminiscent of certain [[salt-cured meat]]s. Its taste is rich in [[umami]] due to its high content of various free [[amino acid]]s, such as [[glycine]], [[alanine]], and [[glutamic acid]]. It is also rich in [[nucleic acid]]s such as [[inosinic acid]], amino acid byproducts such as [[taurine]], and minerals, such as [[calcium]] and [[zinc]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}

Conpoy is produced by cooking raw scallops and then drying them.

==Terminology==
''Conpoy'' is a [[loanword]] from the [[Cantonese]] pronunciation of [[wikt:乾貝|乾貝]] ({{zh|cy=gōn bui|labels=no}}), which literally means "dried shell(fish)".

==Usage==
[[File:Driedscallopconpoy.jpg|thumb|left|Scallops for sale at a market.]]
In [[Hong Kong]], conpoy from two types of scallops are common. Conpoy made from ''[[Atrina pectinata]]'' or ''{{zh|cy=gōng yìuh|labels=no}}'' ([[wikt:江珧|江珧]]) from mainland [[China]] is small and milder in taste. ''[[Mizuhopecten yessoensis]]'' or ''{{zh|cy=sin bui|labels=no}}'' ([[wikt:扇貝|扇貝]]), a sea scallop imported from [[Japan]] (''hotategai'', [[wikt:帆立貝|帆立貝]] in Japanese), produces a conpoy that is stronger and richer in taste {{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}.

As with many dried foods, conpoy was originally made as a way to preserve [[seafood]] in times of excess.<ref name="TsaiBoehm1999">{{cite book|last1=Tsai|first1=Ming|last2=Boehm|first2=Arthur|title=Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SdTF3KznjJ0C&pg=PA7|year=1999|publisher=Clarkson Potter|isbn=978-0-609-60530-1|page=7}}</ref> In more recent times its use in cuisine has been elevated to gourmet status. Conpoy has a strong and distinctive flavor that can be easily identified when used in [[rice congee]], stir fries, stews, and [[sauce]]s.

[[XO sauce]], a [[seasoning]] used for frying vegetables or seafoods in [[Cantonese cuisine]], contains significant quantities of conpoy.  For example, the [[Lee Kum Kee]] formulation lists conpoy as the third ingredient on its label.
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==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{annotated link|Budu (sauce)|Budu}}
* {{annotated link|Dried shrimp}}
* {{annotated link|Fish sauce}}
* {{annotated link|Delicacy#Delicacies|List of delicacies}}
* {{annotated link|List of dried foods}}
* {{annotated link|Padaek}}
* {{annotated link|Saeu-jeot}}
* {{annotated link|Shrimp paste}}
* {{annotated link|Smoked scallop}}
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Dried fish and seafood}}

[[Category:Seafood]]
[[Category:Food ingredients]]
[[Category:Dried meat]]