Farm owner feeds the fish peppers. Photo: icswb.com

A video of fish enthusiastically eating peppers in a fish farm in a county of Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, has captivated Chinese social media recently, with some internet users joking that even the local fish have embraced the region's famous spice culture.

The farm owner confirmed with the local media outlet Changsha Daily that it's no joke—they feed the fish about 4,000 jin (2,000 kilograms) of peppers per day on average.

"Fish don't taste spiciness—they smell and enjoy it," explained the owner Jiang Sheng. The peppers, often surplus from a nearby market, are rich in vitamins and capsaicin, which aids digestion and helps prevent parasites. According to Jiang, the pepper-rich diet results in healthier fish and superior meat texture, Changsha Daily reported.

The practice also makes financial sense. Sourcing peppers for free slashes feeding costs by roughly 2,000 yuan per day compared to commercial feed.

As reported by Changsha Daily, the 60-mu pond (0.04 sq km) has an annual rent of 70,000 yuan ($9,630) and fingerling costs over 300,000 yuan, relies entirely on urban fishing enthusiasts. "Making 200,000 yuan a year from this pond is no problem,"Jiang said, another local media outlet Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.

Xu Shude, an aquaculture researcher at Hunan Agricultural University, validated the approach. "Pepper pulp has long been used in fish feed—it stimulates appetite and is good for health," he said. He also confirmed that fish meat does not become spicy, as capsaicin metabolizes naturally.

Source: Global Times