‘Bombay Duck’ (Latin name – Harpadon nehereus) is a small type of lizard fish typical to the southern Asian coasts. As Bombay (from 1995 it is Mumbai) was a rich centre for these type of fishes, the name ‘Bombay’ came from the Marathi (local language) word for fish, ‘bombila’. The duck element remains a mystery and this fish was mentioned in Reverent James Cordiner’s book “A Voyage to India” in 1820 this way: “Bombay is likewise remarkable for an excellent small fish, called bumbelo and is most commonly eaten after being dried, in which state a great quantity of these fishes is exported. The sailors by way of joke, call them Bombay ducks.”
