Balyk (Russian: балык) is salted and dried soft parts of fish of large valuable species: acipenseridae (e.g., sturgeon) or salmonidae (salmon). The word means "fish" in Turkic languages (e.g. balık).
Over time, the term was applied to smoked fish of this kind, and one may see, e.g., "cold smoked hucho balyk". As a curiosity, recently a number of cold smoked meat products branded "balyk" appeared in Russia.
Traditionally, sturgeon balyk has been considered the most fine and tender one, sought and praised by gourmets. At the same time, the tender flesh of sturgeon is more susceptible to growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
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