Panga (Pangasius)


Panga ali pangasius je sladkovodna riba iz družine somov.
Izhaja iz Azije. Na naš trg in v EU, pa prihajajo skoraj izključno zamrznjena.
Največje ribogojnice so v Vietnamu, v delti Mekona. Ribe hranijo pretežno z riževo moko in bananami.
Ker so praktično brez koščic, po okusu spominjajo na morskega lista, imajo čvrsto meso, kar omogoča raznolike načine priprav, je vedno bolj priljubljena - še posebaj med bodybuilderji in ostalimi športniki.

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Pangasius hypophthalmus is not a shark, but a catfish. This fish is also known as Siamese shark or sutchi catfish in the aquarium hobby or as tra, swai, or striped catfish in the food fish market, and occasionally incorrectly as basa and panga (though these names should be rather used for Pangasius bocourti and Pterogymnus laniarius, respectively). The species is found in Southeast Asia in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya river, and is heavily cultivated for food there. It has also been introduced into other river basins as a food source and is common in the fishkeeping hobby. It is named for its glow or iridescence exhibited in juveniles.


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P. hypophthalmus is an important food fish and is farmed extensively in many parts of the world. It is one of the most important aquaculture species in Thailand[3] and Vietnam. Along with other farm-raised shark catfishes, it has caused much debate within the U.S., with legislation passed recently to prevent its imports from cutting into American farmed catfish sales. Prohibited to be labelled as "catfish" in the U.S., P. hypophthalmus is now labelled as "swai" (its Thai name[citation needed]), "sutchi catfish", or "striped catfish". In Vietnam, this fish is known as "tra".[4]

This fish is sometimes sold as the superior "basa". Compared to the basa, this fish is thought to be inferior, as its meat is coarser and comes in thinner. Despite this, swai is still common as it is much cheaper to maintain, easier to breed, and is also a faster-growing species. It is said that 90% of fish sold as basa is actually swai.[4]