What is 'ikan terubuk', the fish that Parameswara once championed?

Ikan terubuk from the Siak river has been cherished for centuries as it only spawns in the brackish water of the river and consequently contributed to a booming ikan terubuk roe industry. — BAYU AMDE WINATA

Once upon a time, there was a fish called ikan terubuk. Such was its legend and legacy that it was traded for hundreds of years in the Malay Archipelago – not for its flesh, but for its eggs.

The caviar of South East Asia, terubuk roe has been a delicacy in Malaysia for hundreds of years. In fact, although it probably existed for a long time without any historical documentation, respected Indonesian researcher Bayu Amde Winata traces its importance in the trade network in the country to the founding father of Melaka – Parameswara.